The A Word
by WaterBendin
Summary: AU. Two years after the murder of their leader, four best friends struggle to survive senior year when an anonymous stalker targets their popular queer clique.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** This fic will focus on all four girls. There will be flings, hook ups, and uncommon pairings as well as lasting relationships. Very few characters will be heterosexual. Queerness and title inspired by _The L Word_.

**Warning: **Rated M for sexual content, underage drinking, drug use, language, and some violence.

* * *

**Chapter 1 - Benches and Bitches**

"_Today in local news, Rosewood High School is unveiling a memorial bench for the second anniversary of fourteen year old Alison DiLaurentis's murder. This hate crime shocked the small community back in 2009, even reaching some national attention. It is still heavily debated on whether fellow Rosewood native Ian Thomas, found dead at the scene of the crime due to an apparent suicide, was actually guilty or not. DiLaurentis's family and friends, surprised to learn of the young girl's intimate relationship with the twenty-five year old, claimed that Thomas's known dislike of the LGBT community was his motive to harm the openly bisexual teen__—"_

The radio was silenced with a quick jab. Emily Fields turned off the car, sitting in silence as she watched her peers gawk at the new memorial bench across the parking lot. The sun gleamed off of the freshly polished bench with an angelic glow. The whole thing was disgusting.

Emily jumped when a sharp knock thumped against her car door. Hanna Marin flashed a flawless smile at her through the window. Exiting the car, Emily shouldered her bag. "Can you believe this?"

Hanna shrugged, checking her reflection in the car windows as they passed. "Ali would eat this shit up if she could see it."

"They didn't even know her." Emily scowled at the small crowd. Most of the students were freshmen, their curious stares and low whispers giving them away. To them the bench wasn't there to honor Alison; it was there for a dead girl, a town scandal.

"Relax, Em." Hanna rolled her eyes as they entered the building. "It's just a dumb bench. They're making a big deal about it right now, but in a few days people will be putting their butts on it and sticking their gum under it and everything will go back to normal."

They reached their lockers, finding the rest of their tightknit clique already there. Spencer Hastings spun around to face Emily and Hanna. "It's about time you two showed up. Did you guys stop by the bench?"

"Nope." Hanna answered, eyeing an attractive sophomore girl as she walked by. "Did you?"

"Yeah, we saw it on our way in." Spencer replied, watching Aria Montgomery out of the corner of her eye.

Aria closed her locker and faced the group. "There were flowers. It was nice."

Hanna grinned while scrolling through her phone. "Do you think this thing will attract Ali's ghost? I can totally picture her trying to haunt Rosewood."

"Ghosts aren't real." Spencer leaned against the row of lockers. "We've definitely had this conversation before."

Aria waved away Spencer's comments. "Ghosts _are_ real, but I doubt Ali would ever hang around this place. She hated this town."

"You're joking, right?" A voice from behind had the group searching to find the source in the crowded hallway. Four sets of eyes quickly landed on the small body of Mona Vanderwaal. "Alison DiLaurentis is _so_ not a ghost. She did all her terrorizing while she was still alive. If I had to guess, I'd say she's probably busy celebrating her second year as the new ruler of Hell."

"It is too early for this." Hanna sneered.

Mona chuckled. "Still worshipping a dead girl. You four really are pathetic."

Spencer put on her signature condescending grin. "Sounds like someone still has a lot of misplaced anger from when the Lollipop Guild kicked her out of Munchkinland."

The short girl smirked up at them. "Cute. But if I'm in Oz, _we're all_ in Oz. Alright, Tin Man?"

"And what exactly is that supposed to mean?" Spencer narrowed her gaze.

"Isn't it obvious?" Mona giggled excitedly, her mind wheeling as it prepared a slew of insults for them. "You're the Tin Man, because you're a clever stonehearted bitch who only cares about furthering herself in life. A Slytherin, if you will allow multi-fandom references in this _truly_ remarkable comparison. Hanna is obviously the dumbass Scarecrow, lacking a brain and all common sense."

"Excuse me?" Hanna snapped, angrily tossing her phone into her purse.

Mona continued. "Emily would be our Cowardly Lion, never able to stand up to Alison…or really anyone for that matter. Speaking of dear beloved Alison, she's clearly the Wicked Witch, yet all of you saw her as Dorothy leading your band of misfits down the yellow brick road to the Emerald City."

"Where am I in this delusional trip to Oz?" Aria asked, partly out of curiosity and partly in an attempt to stump her.

"Down, Toto." Mona answered with a chortle, starting to back away. "You girls better control Alison's favorite scruffy little bitch before she gets into trouble. I hear she bites."

The four girls watched as Mona spun on her heels and strutted away down the hall.

Hanna shook her head. "I can't believe I ever used to be friends with her."

Without warning, Aria smacked Spencer's arm. "_Ow_! What was that for?"

"A _munchkin_? Really? Mona is like the same height as me." Aria barked.

"Oh." Spencer backtracked. "Well, I mean, you'd make a really cute munchkin. Mona is more like one of the flying monkeys."

Aria crossed her arms, grumbling out her response. "At least you got to be a main character. She called me the _dog_."

Hanna snorted. "Fuck Mona. She's trash and she knows it. Ditching her was seriously the best decision I have ever made. She's a toxic person. She'll try anything to bring you down to her level."

"Em, you okay?" Spencer placed a cautious hand on Emily's shoulder. "You've been pretty quiet."

"The Cowardly Lion." Emily nodded gloomily. "Figures."

Hanna stared at the group in amazement. "You guys, it's _Mona_. She's just looking for a fight. That's the kind of twisted person she is. You can't listen to anything she says."

"Yeah, forget her." Aria added.

The bell rang, causing the hallway to erupt into the familiar morning chaos. Spencer and Aria, heading in the same direction, bid farewell to Emily and Hanna.

"We should do something after school." Spencer suggested once they were far enough away. "Em looks like she's going to need the support."

"At least she got out of bed this year." Aria pointed out as they rounded a corner. "I was worried we'd have to show up at her house after school with buckets of ice cream again."

Spencer eyed her shorter companion cautiously. "Hey, um…can we talk? Not now, but later? Maybe during lunch?"

Despite the warning bells going off in her head, Aria couldn't resist. "What about?"

Spencer raised an eyebrow. "I think you know."

Aria sighed dramatically. "You know, it's really none of your business."

Grabbing Aria's wrist and pulling her to the side, Spencer leaned closer and whispered, "Aria, he's a _teacher_. It isn't going to end well. It's one thing to hook up with a stranger in a bar restroom, it's another thing to find out that the stranger you hooked up with is now your new English teacher and continue to hook up with him."

"Keep your voice down!" Aria hissed.

"A _teacher_." Spencer repeated, her tone full of judgment and concern.

Aria's eyes darted worriedly around the hall at the students and faculty passing by. "We're not talking about this here."

"At lunch then." Spencer replied. She didn't bother hiding her disgust when Ezra Fitz appeared down the hall. He wasn't aware Aria had told her friends that the two had been seeing each other.

"Stop looking at him like that." Aria snapped, hitting Spencer's arm again.

"What is with the arm slapping today?"

"You know, jealousy doesn't look too good on you, Spence."

"Jealousy?" She forced a laugh, trying hard to keep her emotions in check. "I'm not _jealous_. I'm looking out for you. That's what friends do, Toto."

Aria couldn't help but crack a smile. "Whatever you say, Tin Man. Hey, I'll see you after class. I need to talk to Ezra."

Watching Aria go, Spencer's own smile faded as her true feelings crept back up on her. Of course she was jealous. It had been over a year since their breakup, but the way she felt about Aria had never changed. They had told everyone, a part from Emily and Hanna, that the decision to split had been mutual, but that was certainly not the truth.

Across the school, Hanna was busy reapplying her lip gloss in the girls' restroom when the late bell rang. Her perpetual tardiness didn't bother her, nor did it bother her first period teacher. They had an understanding. If Mr. Ross ignored her lateness, she wouldn't show anyone the pictures on her phone of him and the principal's wife being a little more than friendly in the storeroom at their last church function. The restroom door opened, an unfamiliar girl strolling in. Hanna shamelessly looked over the girl from head to toe. She was a stunning blonde with what appeared to be a very toned, athletic body.

"By all means, take your time." The girl smirked, a seductive glint in her eyes.

Hanna put on her most charming smile. "I don't believe we've met. I'm Hanna."

"Kate." The girl replied, stepping closer. "I'm new to Rosewood. It's my first day here, actually."

"Ah. Why Rosewood?" Hanna tossed her lip gloss back into her purse on the sink counter, ignoring the vibrating phone. The new girl had her complete attention.

"My mom got engaged. The fiancé lives around here. We won't be staying in Rosewood too long, though. They're already looking for a new place."

"Interesting. Will you be needing someone to show you around town then?" Hanna propositioned.

Kate stepped even closer, until she was inches away. She glanced from Hanna's eyes to her lips. "How about we skip all that and just go straight to the fun part?"

Hanna's smile grew wider just before the new girl's lips were aggressively pressed against her. Surprised, she stumbled back until Kate had her pressed up against the wall. Their kisses were hot as their hands roamed freely. Hanna managed to catch her breath when the new girl started trailing sloppy kisses down her neck.

"Someone might come in." Hanna warned, not worried about that possibility in the least.

Kate giggled. "Hope they enjoy the show."

Hanna smirked, flipping them so that Kate was the one with her back to the wall. She slid the new girl's skirt up as they kissed. She teasingly caressed the outside of Kate's panties until she was literally begging for more. Only then did Hanna push aside the thin fabric to give her what she wanted. Kate orgasmed quickly, painfully pulling Hanna's hair as she did. She gave Hanna a few quick kisses before nudging her way out from being pinned against the wall. Fixing her outfit, she blew Hanna a kiss and exited the restroom without a word. Hanna stood in silence, her fingers still glistening in the fluorescent lights. She looked at her reflection in the mirror above the row of sinks and shared an incredulous look with herself before washing her hands and beginning the tedious task of reapplying her lip gloss.

When the bell signaling the end of first period rang, Emily was the first person out the door. She rushed to her locker in the attempt to skip the usual between classes conversation with her friends. Catching their concerned glances and enduring their words of support was going to drive her over the edge. Before she could get away, however, Hanna caught her.

"Hey, you are seriously never going to believe what just happened to me." The blonde grinned, opening her locker just as the other girls arrived.

"And what's that?" Aria asked, less out of burning curiosity and more out of friendly duty. Knowing Hanna, it was probably something trivial like finding a week old half-eaten burrito in her bag.

Hanna wiggled her eyebrows. "Okay, so you know how I always go to the girls' room in the morning before class?"

"Much to Mr. Ross's displeasure, I'm sure." Spencer commented.

"Yeah, well, I was in there and this random new girl comes in and totally starts going at it with me." As Hanna's voice lowered, her smile grew. "I had this girl coming in like three minutes flat; a new personal record. Then she just up and walks out the door. Not even a thank you. Like, um, _hello_? I have needs too, you know?"

The girls erupted into laughter. Even Emily couldn't help but find amusement in Hanna's expression.

Spencer raised a questioning eyebrow. "Are you sure you didn't just take a nap while peeing again and dream the whole thing?"

"Okay, that happened _one time_ freshman year. Guys, I'm being completely serious here." Hanna's gaze travelled wildly between her friends, almost desperate for them to believe her. "I probably even have a few scratch marks to prove it."

Aria shrugged. "Alright, who was she?"

Hanna hesitated, her mind reeling to recover such a specific tidbit of information. "Some new girl. Said her name was Kate, I think."

"Only you, Hanna." Emily added, getting a laugh from the group. It was no secret that Hanna got around with the ladies. The girl had experienced more sexual encounters than the other three combined.

"Oh, _please_. Like I'm the only one of us hooking up with strangers in bathrooms." Hanna gestured to Aria. "How come Toto over here gets a free pass but when I do it suddenly I'm the big slut?"

"At least I didn't hook up at school." Aria threw back.

"_Yet_." Spencer grumbled, earning a less than pleased look from Aria.

"Well, now I can scratch that off my bucket list." Hanna shrugged.

Spencer rolled her eyes. "Am I the only one here who thinks maybe you should get to know a person a little bit before you let them in your pants?"

"It's just a comfort level thing. Everyone is different." Aria quickly answered.

"What about you, Em?" Spencer turned to her. "What do you think?"

Emily looked at the ground. "I don't know. I guess it depends on the situation."

"Don't knock it until you try it, girls." Hanna said, shutting her locker.

"Yeah, it's actually a lot of fun. The fear of getting caught, the excitement of trying something new…it's a rush." Aria looked at Spencer. "You never know, doing something that seems crazy might actually do both of you some good."

Hanna nodded. "And if it doesn't get you going, just walk out. What does it matter? They're a stranger, it literally does not matter what they think. Odds are you'll never have to talk to them again."

As if on cue, Aria spotted Mr. Fitz leaving his classroom down the hall. He immediately caught her staring, leaving them both awkwardly averting their eyes. It had been two weeks since senior year had begun, but she imagined seeing him within the walls of Rosewood High would always be strange.

Noticing the exchange between Aria and their teacher, Spencer fixed her posture. "Fine. I'll do it if Emily does."

"Yes!" Hanna bounced up and down in her excitement. "Come on, Em. We're just asking you to _try_ hooking up with someone. You don't have to do anything you don't want to. Just try it out and see how it goes. You might like it."

"I haven't done anything since…" Emily trailed off as the girls gave her looks filled with pity. "You know what, whatever. I'm in."

Spencer adjusted her bag. "Well, if Em and I are doing this, what are you two going to do? Abstain from unprotected bathroom hookups for a week? That doesn't really seem like a fair tradeoff."

Hanna mulled it over. "I could try taking a few more things off my bucket list."

"Anything on there more thrilling than sex at school?" Spencer teased.

Hanna rolled her eyes. "There's actually some pretty challenging stuff on there."

"What about you?" Emily asked, looking at Aria.

She shrugged. "I don't have a bucket list."

"You can borrow mine." Hanna grinned. "I'll write up a new copy tonight."

Aria adjusted her bag, her eyes glancing back to the place where she'd last seen Mr. Fitz. "Somehow I don't think this is going to end well."

Later at lunch, each girl had an objective in mind. Hanna was busy deciding which bucket list item to tackle first, Emily was on the nervous lookout for a potential girl to try hooking up with, Spencer was still determined to speak privately with Aria about her ongoing inappropriate activities with their English teacher, and Aria was doing anything she could to avoid that very confrontation with Spencer.

Finding her excuse, Aria rushed to Emily's side for a private chat. "Hey, Em. I just wanted to check up on how you're doing. It's been a long day for all of us, especially with that bench out there now."

Emily stared at the apple in her hands. "I'm fine. I really just wish people would stop walking on eggshells around me. Ali's been gone for two years but it's like people are still afraid to say her name around me."

"Everyone knew how much you cared about her. They're just looking out for you. But, hey, new topic…I think there's a girl checking you out over there." Aria discretely motioned toward the lunch line.

Emily followed Aria's notion, laughing when she saw the girl. "Uh, Aria, that's Paige McCullers. She's on the swim team with me? She's literally the most homophobic person I've ever met."

"Oh, right. I remember you talking about her now. Uh, well, what about that one over there?" Aria gestured to a different girl.

"You don't have to play matchmaker. I can handle it on my own." Emily started walking toward their lunch table again.

Aria struggled to keep up with her long stride. "You're right. I guess I'm just excited for you."

"Thanks, but I've got this." Emily gave her a polite smile, effectively ending the discussion.

They sat down at the table, finding themselves lost in the middle of Hanna and Spencer's conversation.

"What are you two going on about?" Aria questioned with a puzzled expression.

Spencer pointed at the blonde. "She has officially lost it."

Hanna smiled, pleased to have stirred up such a strong reaction. "I think we should have a party tonight."

"A party?" Aria raised an eyebrow. "_Tonight_? Of all nights, you want to have a party…tonight?"

"Ali would love a party in her honor." Hanna defended.

"She would." Emily agreed, receiving surprised looks from the girls.

"It's completely morbid." Spencer replied in disbelief.

Emily sat up straighter. "Let's do it. I'm tired of the way people look at us when someone mentions her name."

Hanna bounced in her seat. "Yes! That's what I'm talking about. Fuck all that fake sympathy bullshit."

"Where would we even throw a party?" Spencer asked. "I really don't think that any of our parents would allow a 'our friend has been dead for two years so let's get trashed' party."

"What about the lake house?" Hanna suggested, giving Spencer a pleading smile.

"Yeah, that would be a great place. We could keep the invite list small." Aria added.

Spencer crossed her arms as she thought it over. "How small?"

"Thirty people?" Hanna offered.

Upon seeing Spencer's immediate disapproval, Aria threw out, "Fifteen?"

"No more than fifteen." Emily promised, breaking what little defense Spencer had left.

Spencer uncrossed her arms and leaned forward so that the others would pay close attention to what she had to say. "Fine, we'll have a small party at the cabin, but my parents can never know about this. And that place has to stay spotless. I mean it. We'll have to clean it from top to bottom before we leave."

"Perfect." Hanna grinned, already typing away on her phone.

"I'm serious, Hanna." Spencer warned. "Keep it small."

With her attention never leaving her phone, Hanna replied, "I'm just going to invite enough people so that you and Em have good chances of getting lucky tonight."

Feeling their eyes on her, Emily cleared her throat. "Sounds good to me."

Spencer and Aria shared a knowing look but made no comments. The subject eventually changed, but the party loomed like a dark cloud in the back of Emily's mind. On one hand, she agreed with Spencer. A party on the anniversary of Ali's murder sounded like an awful way to honor her memory. But on the other hand, she knew Ali would love just this kind of thing. In the end, Emily knew that she had spent more than enough time grieving. She needed to move on.

—

FLASHBACK —July 14th, 2009 – Less than two months before Alison DiLaurentis's murder

Running her hands through Emily's hair, Alison smiled. "Your hair is gorgeous."

"Thanks." Emily blushed, turning to face her. They were sitting on her bed, waiting on the other girls to arrive. She loved it when Alison showed up earlier than the others. She loved the way Alison always made sure to dedicate time for just them. Honestly, she just plain loved Ali.

"You've always been my favorite." Alison announced unexpectedly. "I want you to know that."

"Why?" Though she was blushing, Emily found it hard to look away. Ali had that kind of power.

Alison smiled. It was the kind of mischievous smile that was filled with secrets. "Did you know that people call you the innocent one?"

Emily's brows furrowed. "Who?"

"People." She shrugged dismissively, placing her hand over Emily's on the bed. "But they're right. That's one of the things I love about you. You're pure. You see the best in everyone."

"I love you." The words escaped Emily's lips before she could stop them.

Ali's smile never faltered, but something resembling sadness glinted in her eyes. "Someday you will find a girl that will love you in every way that you deserve to be loved."

Emily swallowed hard as embarrassment washed over her. "Why did you let me kiss you in the library? Why didn't you stop me?"

Lifting Emily's chin until they were staring into each other's eyes, Alison answered, "Because I didn't want to stop you. But I also don't want to hurt you. I'm not good for you, Em. We both know that."

"You don't have to protect me. I'm not a child." Emily leaned in, capturing Alison's lips with her own. One kiss led to another until they were both so focused on the other's lips that they didn't notice their friends appearing in the doorway.

—

PRESENT

The party was in full swing at the Hastings' family cabin. Despite the clear agreement at lunch, far more than fifteen people were on the property. Luckily for the other girls, Spencer was having too good of a time to care. As soon as the guests had started arriving, she had challenged Hanna to a one-on-one drinking game. She lost horribly, as expected.

"Let's play truth or dare!" Aria exclaimed, nearly spilling her drink in her eagerness. "Come on, let's play truth or dare. It's the last thing we ever did with Ali."

"It was her favorite game." Emily mentioned, taking a large sip from her cup. She would need plenty of liquid courage to actually go through with hooking up with someone.

"Truth or dare!" Hanna shouted, pulling random partygoers toward the fun as she went. After taking a seat by Spencer on the floor, she yelled, "Get your asses over here! We're playing a game! Spence, you're the host. Start us off."

Eyeing the playing crowd, Spencer smirked when she found her target. "Toby, truth or dare."

Toby Cavanaugh nervously cleared his throat. "Uh, dare."

"I dare you…" Spencer glanced at Caleb Rivers. "…to give your boyfriend a lap dance."

The two longtime lovers shared matching grins as a random partygoer jumped up to switch the music.

"Play something sexy!" Hanna demanded, already pulling her phone out to record the dare.

The lap dance set the mood for the rest of the game. The dares proceeded to get dirtier, the truths more revealing.

"Em, truth or dare?" Aria asked, still sticky from where Caleb had done a body shot off of her.

"Dare." Emily answered. Her palms were already sweaty in anticipation.

Aria handed her an empty bottle. "I dare you to have seven minutes in heaven with the lucky person this lands on."

Emily quickly spun the bottle, trying hard to overcome her nerves as it slowed. She was happy when the bottle landed on Maya St. Germain. Emily didn't know the girl very well, but she knew plenty about her. Maya was Hanna and Caleb's go to dealer. Known for being extremely laid back and openly pansexual, Maya was probably the perfect person to spend seven minutes trapped in a closet with.

There was a cramped coat closet near the cabin's front door that they were pushed inside of by the giggling duo of Hanna and Aria.

"Seven minutes starting now!" Hanna announced from the other side of the door.

Maya illuminated the small space with the light from her phone. She flashed Emily a friendly smile. "We don't have to do anything if you don't want to."

Emily's first instinct was to take Maya up on her offer and sit this one out, but her mind changed upon remembering the all of the looks she had received that day. So many faces filled with pity for her, so many people asking her if she was doing okay. She was tired of Ali being the only thing people knew about her. It was time to give them something new to talk about.

Emily smiled as a surge of confidence hit her. "If you're scared, don't worry. Your secret will be safe with me."

With a cute, sarcastic tone, Maya replied, "I didn't peg you for _that kind of girl_, Emily Fields. What will people think when they find out the truth? _So_ scandalous."

Before she could talk herself out of it, Emily swooped down and gave Maya a quick kiss. She whispered against May's lips, "Fuck what they think."

They kissed again and again, each one more heated than the last. Feeling brave, Emily pressed Maya against the closet wall. Aware of their short time, Maya spread her knees as Emily's leg found its place against her. Her hands tightly gripped Emily's hips as they sensually grinded against the other's thigh. Maya deepened their kiss by slipping her tongue past Emily's lips. Lust erupted deep within Emily, a feeling she had nearly forgotten. She was in the middle of sliding her hands under Maya's shirt when the closet door was opened a few inches.

"Time's up." Hanna giggled, her own hand doing a poor job of covering her eyes.

Not embarrassed in the slightest, Emily exchanged one last lingering kiss with Maya before leaving the closet. Hanna smiled, peeking through her fingers at the intimate moment. The trio returned to their spots, no one giving Emily and Maya anything more than a welcoming smile.

"How'd it go?" Spencer whispered, glancing between Maya's flushed face and Emily's confident pose.

Emily smiled. Her head was spinning and her lips were buzzing. What she was feeling wasn't love at first kiss, but it was certainly much better than the ball of sadness that had been living in the pit of her stomach for so long. "I'll tell you later."

"That good?" Spencer raised an eyebrow, surprised that Emily had gone through with it.

"I haven't won the game yet." Emily clarified, referring to the deal the girls had made at lunch. "But at this rate, I'm definitely in the lead."

Spencer's competitive side flared up right on cue. Downing the rest of her drink, she surveyed the party in the hopes of finding a potential hookup partner. There was no way in hell she was going to lose this particular competition. It was true that she had only accepted to partake in this deal to spite Aria, but now it was a personal mission. If Emily could do it, so could she.

"Spencer, truth or dare?" Maya asked, having a hard time keeping her eyes off of Emily.

"Dare." Spencer answered boldly. The significant amount of alcohol in her system had the room a little on the blurry side. She tried to concentrate on the game at hand, but found it unusually difficult to focus on more than one thing at a time.

After getting a whispered suggestion from Toby, Maya said, "I dare you to play fuck, marry, kill with Emily, Hanna, and Aria."

"Isn't that more of a truth question?" Spencer asked the group. "And are we really going to use the word kill? Especially tonight, considering who we're supposed to be honoring with this party?"

Hanna groaned. "Change the words then. How about…do kinky stuff with, make passionate love to, and marry."

Spencer looked at each of her best friends. Emily was preoccupied with looking at Maya, Hanna had a shit-eating grin on her face, but it was Aria's deeply intrigued expression that caught Spencer's attention the most.

"I would do kinky stuff with Hanna, because we all know she would be the one to have the most experience in such areas." Spencer began, getting an uproarious laugh from the group and a cheer of victory from Hanna. "I would marry Emily, because honestly who wouldn't." The group nodded in agreement, making Emily blush. "And I would make passionate love to Aria." Maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe it was the fact that she was so fed up with her own feelings, but regardless the words that fell from Spencer's mouth proceeded to shock all witnesses. "Because I love the way she says my name right when she's about to come."

Immediately, Hanna and Emily jumped to Spencer's sides.

Hanna gave the group an apologetic smile. "Okay, I think _someone_ has had a little too much to drink. We're just going to take her upstairs. Aria? Some help?"

Hanna had suggested Aria tag along so that she and Spencer could discuss what had just happened, but it turned out Spencer was in fact much drunker and much less agreeable about going upstairs than they had originally thought. It took all three girls to get their friend up the stairs and into one of the guest rooms. Hanna and Emily quickly rushed out the door to escape the inevitable heated argument.

"What the fuck, Spencer?" Aria exclaimed, her hands balled into angry fists.

Spencer sat casually at the edge of the bed, her hair disheveled from her failed resists at being hauled upstairs. Her lack of a reply only angered Aria more, just as she knew it would.

Gritting her teeth, Aria pointed a stern finger at her. "You are drunk, you are acting out, and you _are_ jealous."

Spencer scoffed. "I was just doing a stupid dare. You can blame Hanna for taking it too far in the first place."

Aria threw her hands up. "No! No, I will blame _you_. Hanna didn't make you tell everyone something so personal. You did that, you're the one I'm blaming."

"Fine. Blame me." She tried to control her slurring. "Blame me for everything, just like you always do."

Aria laughed dryly, shaking her head. "I'm not doing this with you right now."

"That's right. Run away, Aria. Keep running away from all your problems." Spencer gave a snarky smile.

Despite her better judgment, Aria snapped. "You see, this is the kind of shit you do that pisses me off so much. You think you know me so well. You think you know _better_ than everyone. You're so full of yourself. You don't know everything!"

"Well, _excuse me_ for trying to understand." Spencer replied, her voice lowering. "You left things pretty open to interpretation."

Aria spread her palms. "I explained to you how I felt the best that I could. I'm really sorry your feelings got hurt, but I did what I had to do."

"You make it sound like you ditched me at a party." She shook her head. "You broke my fucking heart. And you didn't even give me a good reason why."

Fighting back tears, Aria slumped down on the bed next to her. "Jesus, Spence, it's been over a year. This might sound harsh, but you have got to get over it. If you're not going to do it for yourself, do it for me. I need you in my life, okay? I need my best friend. That month after we broke up when you didn't speak to me…that was the worst month of my life. Your friendship means so much to me."

"It's always about what _you_ want." Spencer's voice was barely above a whisper. "The only thing you ever gave me, you took away."

"It wasn't working out."

"We were perfect together. _You_ got scared and ran away. That's what you do."

Wiping a stray tear from her cheek, Aria replied, "If you know every little thing about me, why did you ask me out in the first place? If I'm such a predictable person, why did you even bother?"

Spencer looked at her. "I guess I thought you would stay for me. Turns out, I'm not so special after all."

Aria sighed. "You always did go from being an angry drunk to a self-pitying drunk."

With nausea and tiredness hitting her out of nowhere, Spencer jumped up and rushed to the guest bathroom. She barely made it to the toilet before the contents her stomach made their way back up. Kneeling beside her, Aria swept her hair back in a protective grip.

"Thanks." Spencer said weakly between gags.

"Shh." Aria soothingly rubbed her back. "Just get it all out."

Downstairs, the party was still in full swing. Hanna and Emily had returned to find that their game of truth or dare had gone to watch the final rounds of a beer bong competition in the front yard. Noticing that Maya was nowhere to be found, Emily trekked down to the lake. She found the girl sitting on the dock with a lit joint in hand.

"How's Spencer?" Maya asked as Emily sat beside her.

Removing her shoes and dipping her feet into the cool water, Emily replied, "She'll be fine. Spencer and alcohol never mix well."

"I'm sure Aria's giving her quite the talk right now." Maya chuckled, offering the joint.

"No thanks. I mean, I would, but the school does random drug tests on athletes so…" Emily trailed off.

"Oh, shit." Maya quickly recoiled. "My bad. I didn't even know you were into sports."

"Swimming." Emily smiled sheepishly as she thought about their brief encounter in the closet. It hadn't been more than fifteen minutes, yet it felt like hours had passed since their lips had touched.

"I'll have to go see you swim sometime. Are you any good?" Maya asked, blowing smoke out over the water.

"I'm not bad." She shrugged. Paige McCullers suddenly came to her mind. A fierce competitor and an outspoken homophobe, Paige was her biggest adversary both in and out of the water. Their mutual dislike for one another dated back to freshman year when Alison and Paige had first butted heads. Despite Paige's general horribleness, Emily was grateful for her presence on the swim team. They pushed each other to swim faster, train harder. Their determination to outdo the other had helped Rosewood break records in the pool.

"Not bad?" Maya asked, drawing Emily's attention back to the present. "I bet you're just being modest. You're probably the best they've got, huh?"

Emily smiled. "I hold a record or two."

"You're adorable." Maya grinned back, letting the joint hang casually from her lips.

"You're not so bad yourself." She replied.

With a playful albeit sexy look, Maya asked, "Hey, you want to go for a swim?"

Back inside the cabin, Hanna was taking another shot of straight vodka. She had lost count of how many shots she'd taken so far, but as an avid partier she knew her limits; there were always warning signs.

"Nice party." Toby said as he joined her in the kitchen area. "Is Spencer alright?"

"Thanks. And yeah, she'll pull through." Hanna answered, contemplating making herself a drink.

"Should we go check on her?" He suggested.

"Nah. Aria always takes care of her." She replied offhandedly.

"Those two really love each other." He commented, mixing a drink for himself.

"Yeah." Caving, she began pouring her own drink.

Toby leaned against the counter, sipping from his cup. "Do you think that they'll ever actually get back together?"

"Who knows." She shrugged, choosing random juices to add to her concoction.

"Are you okay?" He watched her carefully. "You seem a little…on edge."

"Sorry, I'm just not really in the mood to discuss Aria and Spencer's never ending love story."

"Sounds like there are some serious feelings behind that. Come on, let's talk." Toby led her to the stairs, climbing halfway up before sitting. "So." He looked at her expectantly. "What's up?"

"I don't know. I just sort of feel really shitty all of a sudden."

"Why?"

"I guess I'm just realizing how I've never experienced what all my friends have. Like, you know, Aria and Spencer will always be there for each other. Even when they broke up they couldn't stop fuckin' talking about each other. And Emily…I mean, her story is a little more complicated, but Em was the only person that Ali ever cared about more than she cared about herself. I just…I want to know what it feels like to really be in love. To have someone who cares about you more than anything else in the world."

After a few moments, Toby replied, "Love runs on its own schedule. When it's ready, it will show itself."

"I'm too impatient for that." Hanna sighed before downing the contents of her cup. "I mean, like, I'm happy for my friends. I'm glad Aria and Spencer have each other, together or not together or whatever the fuck they are. And I'm glad Emily is finally moving on from Ali. But, like, where is my happy story, you know? I deserve something good to happen to me, too. Do I sound like an asshole?"

"Definitely not. You can't help how you feel."

"It's like…" She searched for the right words. "…like, I don't even care about the whole happily ever after thing, you know? I'm not asking for a wife or whatever. I'm just asking for a person to love me. I don't care how long it lasts. I just want to know how it feels. I want to be able to say that I loved someone and that they loved me."

"It'll happen." He squeezed her shoulder reassuringly.

"Thanks for listening." Hanna forced a smile. "Get me another drink? Please?"

He reluctantly left her on the stairs to refill their cups.

"Hey!" Hanna called out to a partygoer passing by. "Have you seen Emily?"

"Uh, I think she went out back?"

Forgetting Toby, Hanna jumped up. After pausing to regain her balance, she drunkenly staggered out to the back of the cabin.

Upstairs, Aria had just managed to tuck Spencer into bed.

"I need to rinse with mouthwash again." Spencer mumbled, feebly attempting to pull the covers off her.

Aria easily kept her in place with a gentle, unmoving hand on her shoulder. "You already rinsed twice. You're minty fresh, I promise."

Spencer stared up at her, a seriousness taking hold of her. "Does he make you happy?" With a small sigh, Aria laid down on top of the covers beside her. Annoyed at not getting an answer, Spencer nudged the smaller girl. "Well, does he?"

"Yes." Aria answered softly. It was true. Ezra Fitz was good to her. He made her laugh, they shared similar interests, he made her dinner all the time. He was a good man; very mature and respectful. He never pressured her, never asked her to do anything that she was uncomfortable with. "Yes, he makes me happy."

Spencer yawned loudly. "Do you love him?"

"We haven't even been together that long." Aria pointed out. "It's too soon."

Spencer smiled, her heavy eyes slipping closed. "You told me you loved me on our first official date."

Aria struggled to come up with a reply, but luckily soft snores filled with room before she was forced to say anything. Spencer was right, the love they had shared had been so obvious and powerful that they hadn't stressed about verbally expressing those feelings in the least. Saying 'I love you' had been the most natural thing in the world. With Ezra, she wasn't certain how she felt yet. It honestly was too soon, but at the same time she did have her doubts. Ezra was interesting and kind, but the most exciting thing about their relationship was the fact that it was forbidden. With Spencer, their relationship had been exciting all on its own. Then again, they were young and those feelings were new and fresh. Unable to dwell on her thoughts any longer, Aria pushed Spencer safely on to her side in case she woke up again to puke some more before fleeing the guest bedroom.

Down by the lake, Emily and Maya were just pulling themselves out of the water when they noticed a certain partygoer sitting at the edge of the dock watching them. Kicking her feet back and forth in the cool lake water, Hanna grinned cheerily at the two girls in their underwear. They quickly pulled their dry clothes back on, shivering as the night breeze picked up.

"Have a nice swim?" Hanna asked, bringing a cigarette up to her lips.

"I thought you quit." Emily replied, slightly annoyed. It had been a pain in the ass to get Hanna to quit smoking the first time around.

"It's been a long day." Hanna shrugged off the comment. "So, Maya…how was your seven minutes in heaven earlier?"

Maya glanced at Emily. "I don't kiss and tell."

Hanna chuckled while doing a terrible attempt at blowing smoke out in rings.

Noticing the time, Maya turned to Emily. "I have to get going, but I'd really like to hang out some time soon, if that's cool?"

"Yeah." Emily nodded enthusiastically. "Sure. That'd be great."

"I'll call you." Maya promised before heading back up to the cabin.

Emily took a seat beside Hanna, dipping her feet back into the water.

Hanna nudged her friend playfully. "See, good things happen when you put yourself out there and do something a little crazy."

Over Hanna's head, Emily could just make out an approaching figure. "Speaking of a little crazy…"

Aria wordlessly took a seat beside the girls. Hanna and Emily shared a knowing glance as Hanna took another long drag of her cigarette.

"I thought you quit." Aria muttered while the three friends watched the wind carry away the smoke as it left Hanna's lips.

Another long drag. "Shit happens."

"How's Spencer?" Emily asked quietly.

Aria stared up at the clear night sky. "Sleeping it off."

"Let me guess." Hanna smashed out the butt of her cigarette. "Same old speech? 'Aria, I love you. Aria, we were perfect together. Aria, no one makes me squirt like you do.'"

"_Hanna_." Emily snapped, glancing worriedly at Aria. Fortunately, the shorter girl didn't seem all that bothered by Hanna's jokes.

"No, she's right." Aria admitted gloomily. "Spencer does this way too much. Everything is fine one minute and then the next she's acting like we broke up yesterday."

"Sometimes it's hard letting go of the people you love." Emily said, catching both of her friends off guard. She rarely ever referred to Alison in conversation. "Especially when they're everywhere you turn."

Hanna nodded, directing her comment to Aria. "_Double especially_ when you two go off and fuck every other month like clockwork—don't give me that look, we know you do it. But seriously, she's just pissed that you're too busy banging Mr. Hotpants this time around."

"Okay, so we slip up every now and then." Aria confessed. "But we're just friends."

Hanna laughed. "No, see, Em and I are friends. We've made out once or twice, and that was fun, it's whatever, but that's where it ended. Just fun. You and Spencer? You guys aren't just having fun. It's different. It's _always_ going to be different."

A silence fell upon them for a few moments until they were drawn back the party. The rest of the night turned out to be fairly uneventful. Spencer roused from her nap around the time they finished cleaning up, and by dawn the four girls were all back safe and sound in their separate homes.

Glad to finally be alone, Emily changed into pajamas and readily climbed into bed. Just as she was about to fall asleep, her phone lit up on her nightstand. She pried open a heavy eye to read the new message. Eyes snapping wide open, Emily jumped up in bed as she reread the words over and over again. "_Maya doesn't kiss and tell, but I do. How do you think your friends would feel if they knew the truth about the Jenna thing? Spend any more time with Maya and we'll find out. – A_"

Over at the Marin household, Hanna was just sliding her key into the lock when the front door swung open. Hanna found herself at a loss for words when she found her father standing before her.

"Hanna?" Looking equally anxious and guilty, he moved aside to let her in. "What are you doing up so early?"

"I never went to bed." She answered slowly. "What were you doing here so late?"

"Oh, um…just visiting. Your mom and I had a few glasses of wine…while we were waiting for you to get home from your party. Knocked me right out. But I better get going. Don't want the fiancé to worry." He laughed nervously. With one foot out the door, he paused. "Han, are you busy later? I'd really love for you to come to dinner. Isabelle has been dying to meet you."

"Oh, uh, sure. Yeah, dinner sounds good." Hanna shrugged, not excited to meet the fiancé whatsoever.

"Great. I'll let her and Kate know that we have dinner plans with you." He said, distractedly checking to see if any neighbors were peeking out their doors.

Hanna almost didn't catch it, she was exhausted from the party and the cleanup, but once the name registered with her she was wide awake. "Wait, hold on. _Kate_?"

Her father's attention returned to her. "Yes. Kate. Isabelle's daughter?"

Recalling the girl from the bathroom earlier in the day, Hanna threw up her hands. "Since when does your fiancé have a daughter? Don't you think that's the kind of thing you should mention?"

He sighed heavily, his expression begging her to keep her voice down. "Hanna, I have mentioned this before. Several times. It's not my fault that you stop paying attention whenever I bring up Isabelle in conversation. Listen, you'll get to meet them both at dinner, okay? Now go on upstairs. You should get some rest. I'll see you tonight." He turned quickly and hurried across the driveway to his car. "I love you!"

"Love you too." Hanna mumbled as she shut the door. Mind spinning and stomach churning, she trudged her way upstairs and into her room. Angrily kicking off her shoes, she resisted the urge to chuck her buzzing phone at the wall. Clicking open the text from an unknown number, her jaw fell open as a clear picture of her and Kate in the bathroom, stealthily taken over a stall door, popped up on the screen. The attached message read: "_There's no bond quite like sisterhood. Tell the fiancé about your dad's late night visit with your mom at dinner tonight or this picture will be on the menu. —A_"

Meanwhile, Aria had finally settled into bed and was checking all of her social networks on her phone when she received a text. Opening the message, she wasn't surprised to see its contents. "_I'm sorry for the way I acted tonight. It was totally uncalled for. You mean the world to me, nothing will change that. You're my best friend and your happiness is important to me. I guess I still have a lot to deal with on a personal level, but that's no excuse for the things I said. Forgive me?_"

Aria was typing up a response the moment she finished reading Spencer's text. "_Of course I forgive you. Best friends forever, right? Get some sleep and we'll talk more tomorrow._"

She tossed her phone to the side, groaning as it immediately lit back up. She was tired and she'd dealt with more than enough of Spencer's shit for one night. Clutching her phone once again, she was surprised to see a blocked number staring back at her. "_You might be hot for teacher but Spencer's still hot for you. Make her think she still has a chance or everyone will know about your extracurricular activities. —A_"

In the Hastings residence, Spencer was pacing back and forth in her room. Staring at her phone, she debated sending Aria another message. Deciding to call it a night, she had just begun undressing for bed when her phone beeped. She eagerly skipped over to the device, but was disappointed to see an unknown number rather than Aria's. She opened the text anyway, the phone nearly slipping from her fingers as she read. "_Truth or dare, Spencer? I dare you to spread some gossip that Fitz is involved with a student or everyone will know the truth about where you really were the night Ali was murdered. —A_"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 – Secrets and Snitches**

* * *

Emily knocked fervently against the large white door, glancing over her shoulder to make certain that no one was watching her. She'd waited until both cars had left the driveway before even considering the idea of walking over. Usually the neighborhood would sleep in on weekends, but this was Rosewood; anything could go wrong. Finally, the door swung open and a dazed Toby Cavanaugh stood before her.

"Emily?" He groggily rubbed his eyes.

"Sorry, Toby, I know it's early, but this is an emergency." She breezed by him without waiting to be invited in.

Perplexed, Toby slowly closed the door. "What's going on?"

Emily fidgeted nervously with her hands. "Is Jenna home?"

Surprised, tired, but mostly just confused, Toby led Emily through the Cavanaugh-Marshall household. He knocked softly on Jenna's door and waited for a response. Cracking open the door, he said, "Emily Fields is here. She wants to talk to you."

"Why?" The tone of Jenna's voice resembled the expression on Toby's face. Despite being stepsiblings and having only known each other since Jenna moved to Rosewood freshman year, the two were incredibly close and protective of one another.

"I don't know." He answered through the door. "But it sounds important."

After a few awkward moments of standing silently in the hallway with Toby, Jenna finally called back, "Send her in."

Emily entered Jenna's bedroom as Toby left them to speak privately. Jenna was sitting on the edge of her bed, expectantly facing the door with her sunglasses in place.

"Hi, Jenna." Emily tried her best not to sound as uncomfortable as she felt.

"Hello, Emily." She was expressionless, her voice balanced and even. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your company this early on a Saturday?"

Knowing it wouldn't do any good to beat around the bush, she decided to just get on with it. "I came to warn you. A few hours ago I got a text from a blocked number. It mentioned you. It mentioned the night …the night you, uh…lost your vision."

Jenna forced a smirk. "You mean the night I was blinded?"

Emily nodded, quickly feeling foolish upon realizing what she was doing. "The point is that whoever sent me that text knows the truth about what happened. They know it wasn't an accident."

She shrugged. "And why should I care?"

Emily took a deep breath. "If they know Ali's the one who threw the firecracker, they might know what she used to blackmail you into staying quiet with."

Understanding dawning on her, Jenna pursed her lips as she took a moment to think. "What exactly did the text say?"

"For me to stay away from Maya St. Germain or else everyone would know the truth about what happened."

"You and Maya St. Germain?" Jenna chuckled. "I wouldn't have seen that one coming even if I could see."

"It's not like that." Emily blushed. "I mean, maybe it could have been like that. I don't know. We were at the same party last night. It was just a dumb seven minutes in heaven dare. I don't even know Maya that well. I don't understand why someone is threatening me to stay away from her."

After a few contemplative moments, Jenna asked, "Since you're here, I assume you're going to stay away from her?"

Despite the fact that Jenna couldn't see her, Emily found it hard to look at the girl. "I guess I have to. I don't know how much this person knows. They might have the video of you that Ali had."

Jenna's hand slowly reached out toward her. Hesitantly, Emily took it and allowed Jenna to stand and pull her into a hug. "Thank you."

Uncomfortable in the embrace, Emily weakly returned to the hug. "It's the least I can do."

Across town, Spencer was just finishing her second cup of coffee. Sitting alone at a secluded table in The Brew, she was busy typing away on her laptop. She checked the time again; her friends were running late. Just as she was about to send out another mass text asking where they were, Hanna came stumbling in. She plopped down across from Spencer, removing her sunglasses to reveal dark bags under drowsy eyes.

"I'm running on two hours of sleep." Hanna groaned as she massaged her temples.

"At least you managed to actually get any sleep. I never went to bed." Spencer answered distractedly. "Have you heard from Aria or Emily? They said they would be here."

"Maybe they fell back asleep." Hanna suggested. Her eyes fell to Spencer's empty cup. "I'm going to need a truckload of caffeine to stay awake."

By the time Hanna returned to the table with her beverage, Aria and Emily had finally arrived. Spencer closed her laptop, glancing around The Brew to make sure they wouldn't be overheard.

"Alright, Spence. What gives?" Hanna asked bluntly. "Why are we having an urgent meeting on a Saturday morning?"

Spencer placed her phone on the table. "After the party a blocked number texted me. They signed the message with the letter A. Whoever it is, they're trying to blackmail me. And judging by the looks on your faces, I'm assuming I'm not the only one?"

Aria shifted in her seat uncertainly. "Uh, yeah. I got one too."

"Same here." Hanna grumbled, sipping on her coffee.

All eyes turned to Emily. She nodded. "Yeah. Me too."

Spencer sighed. "I think honesty is the best policy here. If we get all the facts together, we might be able to figure out who is trying to blackmail us. Right now, I'm thinking it was someone at the party last night. My text references the truth or dare game."

Emily cleared her throat. "My text mentioned Maya."

Spencer keenly looked at the other two girls. Hanna shrugged. "Mine didn't say anything about the party, but whoever sent it was in the girl's bathroom yesterday morning the same time as me and Kate. The asshole took pictures from inside a stall. They want me to tell my dad's fiancé Isabelle that he slept over at my mom's house last night. If I don't, they'll see a picture of me and Kate hooking up. Turns out that Kate, by the way, is Isabelle's _daughter_."

The girls stared at Hanna in awe for a few moments before Spencer decided to follow Hanna's lead. "Since we're sharing…they want me to spread a rumor about Mr. Fitz."

"_What_?" Aria snapped, checking over her shoulder to ensure that no one was eavesdropping. "What rumor?"

Reluctantly, she answered. "Well, uh, a rumor that Fitz is involved with one of his students." Spencer glanced around the table. "They know where I was the night Alison was murdered. They're threatening to tell people if I don't gossip about Fitz."

The girls shared a puzzled look as Emily said, "You were with us. We were all in the barn, sleeping."

Knowing the truth was the best way to proceed, Spencer divulged what she could. "When Ali got up to go meet with Ian, I followed her. Or at least I tried to. I lost track of her in the woods and had to turn around. On my way back to the barn..." She paused to choose her words carefully. "I met with someone. In their car. Briefly. Then I snuck into my house for a minutes, but after that I went straight back to the barn. I never saw Ali again that night."

"Who did you meet with?" Aria asked. Upon noticing Spencer's hesitation, she added, "Look, you're the one who said honesty is the best policy."

"Okay." Spencer inhaled deeply as she prepped herself. "I met with Andrew Campbell."

Hanna raised a skeptical eyebrow. "That dorky guy on the decathlon team?"

"Yes." Spencer avoided eye contact with Aria the best she could. "That summer I started getting a little overwhelmed with the college level classes I was taking at Hollis. I was taking pills to help me concentrate and stay awake to study. My prescription needed to be refilled, and I had a final coming up the next day, so I called Andrew to see if I could buy some from him. I didn't have enough cash on me at the time…so we struck a deal."

"Oh my god." Hanna gasped, covering her mouth in surprise. "Tell me you did not whore yourself out for fucking Adderall."

Lowering her voice, Spencer replied, "His going rate at the time was a handful for a handjob. I was desperate, okay? It's not something that I'm proud of."

"_Desperate_?" Emily questioned.

Spencer chewed nervously on her bottom lip. "I, um…I started abusing the pills that summer. It got worse after Ali died. You guys remember how sophomore year my family went to New York City for Thanksgiving? Well…they went to New York, I went to rehab."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Aria asked. It was clear from the hurt look on her face that she was really asking why Spencer never told _her_ specifically.

"My family went through a lot of trouble to keep it quiet. And with everything that happened with Ali, I just couldn't bring myself to tell you guys. It wasn't even that bad of an addiction."

"Not that bad of an addiction?" Hanna nearly spilt her drink. "If a handjob for a handful isn't what you would define as bad, I'd like to see what is."

Before Spencer could throw back a harsh remark, Aria cut in. "Hanna, chill. This is a judgment free zone right now."

Hanna and Spencer stifled their comments as the attention shifted to Aria and Emily.

"Alright, well, what do they want from you two?" Hanna asked.

Emily and Aria shared a glance, silently asking for the other to go first. Emily caved. "They want me to stay away from Maya."

Hanna's face fell in honest heartbreak. Seeing Emily get excited over a girl had made Hanna so happy for her friend. It had taken two years for Emily to get this far, and now someone was trying to take it all away from her.

"Why?" Aria asked the question at hand.

Emily shook her head. "It didn't say why, but if I don't…they're going to tell people that Alison is the one who blinded Jenna Marshall."

The girls gasped audibly as dozens of questions came to mind. Spencer lowered her voice. "You knew this whole time?"

Guiltily, Emily nodded. "I was there."

"You were _there_?" Hanna whispered. "What happened?"

"It's complicated." They waited eagerly for Emily to go on. "It was around the time that I found out Ali was seeing Ian. I felt betrayed—hurt, mostly. Jenna had just moved into Toby's house, her and Ali were already butting heads...and I wanted to hurt Ali back."

Tentatively, Hanna asked, "Did you hook up with Jenna Marshall?"

Emily stared at the table, avoiding all eye contact. "Yes, and when Ali found out, she told Jenna to stay away from me. We were both angry at her for different reasons, but we shared that feeling. We made plans to meet up in her garage. Her parents weren't home, but we couldn't risk Toby seeing us. Ali found out somehow. She showed up, and as a prank she lit a firecracker and threw it inside the garage. That's what started the fire…that's what blinded her. After I helped Jenna out of the garage, Ali convinced me that we had to leave before anyone saw us there. She blackmailed Jenna into saying it was an accident. She had an incriminating video of her. I was in shock at the time…I was so scared…and I let Ali lead me away." Despite her efforts to hold it together, stray tears fell from Emily's eyes. "We left her there all alone. We didn't even call for help. We just sat in the bushes and watched. Eventually Toby smelled the smoke and called 911. He found Jenna in the driveway, right where we'd left her. She'd fallen unconscious, and from where we were it looked like…like she was dead. He started screaming for help and we just…we just _watched_. We stayed there until after the fire truck and ambulance left. I was freaking out—we had to tell someone, we couldn't keep something like that a secret! But Ali said we had to. She said if we told anyone that she would go to jail. She said my parents would find out what I was doing in there with Jenna. I wasn't out to them yet, and at the time it didn't even feel like a threat, but I realize now that Ali wasn't looking out for me; she was blackmailing me to stay quiet just like she was blackmailing Jenna."

The table was quiet as she wiped away her tears. Offering Emily a napkin as a tissue, Hanna said, "I never thought I'd feel bad for Jenna Marshall."

"She's not as bad as Ali made her out to be." Emily sniffled.

"What was on the video?" Spencer asked curiously. "The one Ali used to keep her quiet, what was on it?"

All eyes back on Emily, she scrambled to find a decent response. "I-I can't say. Jenna and I made an agreement when she came back to Rosewood from that school for the blind. If I kept her secret, she wouldn't say that Ali started the fire."

Hanna sipped her drink. "Well, let's be real. Now that Ali's gone what does it matter if people find out she started the fire?"

"No one can know." Emily's eyes pleaded desperately with the girls. "This person might know what Ali was using to blackmail Jenna with. They might have the video. I can't take that risk. I can't do that to Jenna. She's been through enough as it is."

Spencer, Hanna, and Aria agreed to keep the secret. It was obvious to them that Emily wasn't protecting herself or Alison; she was protecting Jenna in order to appease a guilty conscience.

Emily turned to Aria. "Your turn."

Aria sighed. "They're threatening to tell everyone about me and Ezra."

"What do they want you to do?" Spencer asked.

Rather than say it out loud, Aria opened the text message she had received and slid the device across the table. Angry, upset, but mostly embarrassed, Spencer passed the phone over to Hanna and Emily. The group remained silent on the issue. This was neither the time nor the place for another one of Spencer and Aria's love debacles.

"What are we going to do?" Hanna asked, breaking the awkward silence. "This creep knows stuff about us that we didn't even know about each other."

Aria shrugged. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think it was Ali."

Emily nodded. "That was my first thought, too. I just can't believe she actually told someone about the Jenna thing."

"So is that who we think this is?" Spencer asked the table. "Someone Ali knew? A friend of hers messing around?"

"This isn't just messing around." Aria replied. "This is serious. Ezra could get fired if our relationship gets out. He could do actual jail time."

Before Spencer could make a snide comment, Hanna cut in. "Look, if this is asshole plans on using our secrets against us, maybe we should beat them to it."

"What do you mean?" Emily asked.

Hanna chewed on the end of her drink's straw. "Maybe we should spill everything. Right here, right now." The other girls shared a reluctant look. Hanna rolled her eyes. "Fine. I'll go first. Let's see, last year I paid Lucas to Photoshop a few yearbook pictures to make them uglier. Just some bitchy student government kids, no one important. Uh, I always forge my mom's signature. On everything. One time I got drunk and made out with Mona. Speaking of her, we used to shoplift stuff together for fun. Hmm, Ali was the first person I ever kissed…back during the…Hefty Hanna years." Her humor sputtered out as a serious topic came to mind. "Freshman year I had, uh…I had an eating disorder. Ali knew about it. She helped me deal with a lot of my issues with that. She helped me get better, taught me how to eat right and showed me her exercise schedule. All that is just off the top of my head, though. I'm sure there's more."

Emily placed a comforting hand over Hanna's on the table.

Glancing around to see who would go next, Spencer found the courage to spill a little more of her own dirt. "Junior year I plagiarized one of Melissa's old essays. It was the paper I won the Golden Orchid for. No one ever found that I didn't write it."

Hanna laughed. "Somehow that's both hard to believe and not surprising at all."

Worried that she would chicken out, Aria blurted, "Before my mom found out about my dad's affair with that college student, Ali was extorting money from him. I knew, but I never did anything to stop her. I don't even know what she used the money for."

The attention turned to Emily, who shook her head dumbly. "I don't really have any other big secrets. I mean, one time I saw Mike out on a date with Noel Kahn—"

"What?" Aria exclaimed. "Hold up. My _brother_ Mike on a date with Noel Kahn? Are you sure? They weren't just hanging out as friends?"

"No, I'm sure." Emily answered quietly. She felt bad about telling Aria the truth. It was no secret that Mike liked boys just as much as he liked girls, but the notorious Noel Kahn had some rough history with their clique. "It was a romantic setting, definitely a date. But this happened last winter. I'm pretty sure they've gone back to being just friends."

"So that's it then." Hanna glanced around the table. "All the big secrets, out where they can't hurt us."

"I don't know about that." Spencer replied. "Telling each other our secrets is completely different than telling them to other people."

Aria narrowed her gaze pointedly at Spencer. "Wait, you're not actually going to spread that rumor about Ezra, are you?"

"I have to." She answered as if it would be crazy to assume she wouldn't. "We told the police that we were in the barn all night. If this gets out, they'll know I lied about what I did that night, Andrew will get in trouble for selling prescription meds to me, and everything my parents did to keep my visit to rehab quiet would be for nothing. So, yeah, I'll spread some gossip about Fitz seeing a student. They'll eat it up for a while, but just lay low until it dies down. No one will figure out who it actually is."

"What if a teacher hears about it?" Aria asked. Her demeanor shifted completely, morphing from concerned to panicked. "What if the police hear about it? They could investigate him. They might find something that proves it's not just gossip. This puts a target on him."

Spencer crossed her arms defiantly. "That's a risk I'm willing to take."

"I cannot even believe you right now." Aria scoffed.

"What about you, huh?" Spencer defensively redirected the focus. "How are you supposed to pull off '_making me think I still have a chance with you_'? If you don't, our good friend A is going to tell everyone about you and him anyway!"

"Keep your voice down." Aria warned. "We don't know who this person is. They could be watching us right now for all we know."

Confused, Hanna raised a finger as if to gain permission to ask her question. "I thought we agreed it's someone Ali knew? Someone she told our secrets to?"

Spencer half-shrugged. "Emily's the only one who is getting blackmailed with something that happened before Ali died. Ali was in the woods with Ian when I met up with Andrew. I mean, neither of their bodies were in the DiLaurentis backyard yet when I walked back to the barn, but there's no way Ali could have seen what I was doing and told someone before Ian killed her."

"It's probably someone who goes to school with us." Aria suggested. "That picture of Hanna and Kate was taken in the bathroom."

"Mona!" Hanna gasped. "That bitch, it has to be her. I mean, come on, who else would fuck with us like this?"

Spencer looked around at her friends warily. "I agree that Mona is the most likely suspect, but she's not the only person in the school that doesn't like us."

"Noel Kahn." Aria nearly spat the name.

"Paige McCullers." Emily proposed.

Hanna chuckled darkly. "Well, fuck, I can't even count how many girls that are mad at me for not calling them back."

Spencer rubbed her tired eyes. The lack of sleep was starting to catch up to her. "I think this is a good start. We can talk about it more later. Right now I just really need a nap. I still haven't written my paper for Fitz yet, I'll have to do that tonight."

Hanna groaned. "I've got that stupid dinner with my dad, the fiancé, and Kate. As if I wasn't dreading it enough already."

Aria gestured to Hanna's phone on the table. "How revealing is the picture of you and Kate in the bathroom?"

"It's not revealing, like our clothes are on, but that doesn't mean I want my dad to see it." Hanna griped. "And I don't even know if Kate is out to her mom. I'll probably pull her to the side first and let her know what's up. But if I do that, she'll probably go tell her mom that my dad is cheating on her. Either way it's best if I play along and put the cat in the bag."

Spencer shook her head disbelievingly, too exhausted to even bother correcting her.

That afternoon, Aria was driving through downtown Rosewood with her brother Mike in the car. She wanted to ask him about the secret Emily had revealed during the morning's emergency meeting. She had no reason to doubt her friend, but something about the idea of her brother being romantically interested in Noel Kahn seemed fishy.

"Guess what I heard about you this morning." She tried to play it casual. Mike was a very confrontational person, keeping things calm was a necessity when trying to get the truth out of him.

"What?" His apathetic answer was exactly the tone she expected.

Preparing herself for the inevitable backlash, she said, "That a while back you went out on a date with Noel Kahn." She glanced to the passenger seat. Mike was expressionless, something she hadn't predicted would happen. "Is it true?"

"So what if it is?" He fired back, quickly returning to a stoic position. "You can just drop me off here."

"Wait, Mike, let's talk about this for a second, okay?" She had to choose her words quickly but more importantly she had to choose them carefully. "Listen, I know my friends and I aren't on good terms with Noel, but if you like him—"

"I don't!" Mike snapped. His irritation was rising. "I don't like him like that. We're just friends. But it's none of your business anyway."

"You're right." Aria allowed, pulling the car over and placing it in park. She turned her full attention to her brother. "You're absolutely right. It's none of my business who you see. I was just wondering if it was true…did you go out with him?"

Mike shifted uneasily in his seat. "Yeah, a few times. It wasn't anything serious."

"Why'd it end?"

"It wasn't working out."

"Did he treat you badly or—"

"No! He's my friend, okay? Let's just leave it at that."

"Okay. Yeah, no, I'm sorry. I'm just trying to get all the facts here. Why didn't you tell me about this when it happened?"

He scoffed. "You know why. You and your friends hate him."

"Well, he's done some pretty terrible things." Aria muttered.

Mike shook his head doubtfully. "Terrible like what? What has he done that's so bad you can't forgive him?"

Unsure of what to share and what to keep quiet, Aria decided it would be better to give him a little bit of the truth than nothing at all. "Noel used to be really close with my group of friends. Him and Toby Cavanaugh were practically inseparable in middle school. When high school came around, they got into a really big fight over which one of them would ask out the new kid Caleb. While they were fighting, everyone took sides—Toby's side. Noel got really pissed off and blew up at everyone. He said a lot of awful things, and he did a lot of stupid stuff. He's the one who told Spencer's parents that she's gay, did you know that? He's the reason she nearly got shipped off to some backwoods gay conversion camp in the middle of nowhere. He broke our trust. He never even apologized."

Mike stared out the window thoughtfully for a few moments before saying, "He's changed."

The passenger side door opened and slammed shut as Mike escaped the tense conversation. Aria tapped the steering wheel. For Mike's sake, and potentially for her own sake, she hoped that he was right about Noel. If Noel was the one sending anonymous threats, they would be in deep trouble. The boy had a temper and a ridiculous sense of entitlement.

Across town, Spencer was staring at her computer screen. Halfway through Fitz's paper, and still running on zero sleep, she was finding it hard to stay concentrated on her book report when there were much more pressing issues at hand. To further her procrastination, she went downstairs for a snack.

"You're looking rough." Melissa commented as Spencer rummaged through the fridge.

"Thanks." Spencer said dryly. She decided on an apple. After a quick rinse in the sink, she leaned against the kitchen counter as she watched her sister endlessly scroll on her handheld tablet.

Noticing Spencer's gaze on her, Melissa smirked. "Is there a reason you're just standing there like some brain-dead zombie?"

"How well did you know Ian?" Spencer's question surprised the both of them.

Melissa sat down her tablet, looking curiously at her. "How well did I know the man I was planning on marrying?"

"Obviously not all that well, what with his taste for underage girls and all that." She took a bite of her apple. "But were there any signs that he was a psychopath?"

"Why are you asking me this?"

"Just curious. I mean you think you know a guy and then _bam_. Turns out he was crazy all along."

"Enough games, Spencer. If you have something to say, spit it out already."

She shrugged. "I was just thinking about the night your fiancé killed one of my best friends, buried her in her own backyard, and then hung himself." She laughed in a deprecating manner. "Isn't is weird that someone you think is so normal is actually capable of murder? Capable of being a huge liar? I just find it really interesting, that's all."

"Interesting." Melissa repeated sarcastically. "You're right. It's so interesting that the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with ended up being a lying scumbag who preferred fourteen year old girls. It's so interesting that he would have rather killed her and then killed himself than stop seeing her. It's all just so interesting!"

Chewing pensively on a bite of apple, Spencer replied, "Everyone says it was a hate crime."

"I know what everyone says." She retorted indifferently. "It wasn't some hate crime. He knew all along what Alison was."

"You gave him an ultimatum." Spencer said, more to herself than to her sister. "He killed her out of some crazed obsessive passion, knew he was screwed, offed himself too." She glanced to Melissa. "Or maybe he picked her over you, so you killed them both and set the whole thing up to frame him."

Melissa wryly said, "If I had been the one to kill them, trust me, there wouldn't have been any evidence." Grabbing her things, she promptly left the kitchen.

Later that evening, Hanna was sitting across from her father at a busy restaurant in downtown Rosewood. The place was a nice balance of classy and casual. The décor was wonderful, the lights were pleasant, and the food smelled delicious. But all of the good smelling food in the world couldn't ease Hanna's nerves as they waited for the rest of their dinner party to arrive.

"Dad..." Still conflicted on how to handle the situation, Hanna struggled to find the right words. "We need to talk about something."

"Yeah? Like what?" Her father was an easy man to read. His body language revealed all; especially when he was anxious about something.

"When I got home this morning, and you were leaving—"

"Now, hold on a second." He interrupted, his eyes darting around the quiet restaurant. "Tonight is about you meeting Isabelle and Kate, right? Let's just enjoy a nice evening out."

Annoyed with his aversion tactic, Hanna crossed her arms. "Does she know you're cheating on her?"

"Wha—I-I…I don't know what you mean."

"Dad, come on, I'm not a little kid anymore. I know when you're trying to hide something. You've been acting sketchy ever since I saw you leave the house earlier. Are you and mom thinking about getting back together?"

"No." He said, his voice nearly a whisper. "I…Hanna, you're still young. There are things going on right now that you just wouldn't understand."

"I think I understand just fine." She shot back.

His eyes grew wide; Hanna had never talked back to him this way before. "What has gotten into you lately?"

"I'm growing up." She answered nonchalantly. "One of us has to."

At a loss for words, his face drained of color as he spotted Isabelle and Kate walking through the restaurant toward them. "Hanna, please, let's talk about this later."

With an uneasy feeling in her stomach, Hanna replied, "Tell her. Tell tonight. Right here, right now. She has to know. If you don't…I will."

"_Hanna_…" He begged.

"I'm serious." Hanna warned quietly as Isabelle and Kate reached the table.

When Kate locked eyes with Hanna, a noticeable panic set in for both girls. Hanna stood, holding out her hand to shake with Isabelle. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

"Likewise." She smiled brightly at the polite greeting before taking a seat beside Hanna's father.

"I'm just going to visit the little girls' room. Kate?" Hanna offered, hoping the girl would take the bait.

Unsure of Hanna's intentions, she replied with a simple, "Sure."

The girls entered the restroom in a rush. Hanna quickly began checking the stalls to ensure they were alone.

"Did you know?" Kate asked.

"No." Hanna scoffed. "Did you?"

"Obviously not!" She exclaimed.

Knowing it would be wrong not to tell Kate about the anonymous text message, she sighed. "Listen, I got a picture sent to my phone this morning from a blocked number. It was a picture of us in the bathroom at school. I don't know who took it, but they're using it to blackmail me." She waited for a response but received only a frightened stare. "I'm guessing you didn't get a text like that?" Kate shook her head. "Okay. Well. Here's the deal…my dad has been doing stuff that he shouldn't have been doing. If your mom doesn't find out the truth tonight, both of them are going to see that picture of us."

"How do I know you're telling the truth?" Kate asked. "How do I know you're not just trying to break them up?"

Hanna rolled her eyes. "I honestly don't even care if they're together. This is way bigger than any issues I might have with my dad."

"Is he cheating on my mom?" Kate asked hesitantly.

"Um, yeah." Hanna nodded. "I'm pretty sure. Last night I went to a party, and when I got home he was leaving my house."

"I had a feeling." Kate admitted. "This was all way too good to be true."

For lack of anything better to say, Hanna replied with a simple, "I'm sorry."

Kate abruptly turned and left the restroom. Hanna followed but quickly bumped into the back of her almost stepsister as they watched Isabelle angrily dump a full glass of water on Hanna's father.

Meanwhile, Emily Fields was walking home from a tiring day at work. She was nearing the old DiLaurentis home, now the residence of Maya St. Germain. She passed by the house quickly; it would be just her luck if Maya were home and saw her walking by. Ignoring the girl she had been making out with in a closet not even twenty-four hours ago was going to be a difficult task for Emily. Maya had sparked something inside her, something she hadn't felt since Alison.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket, distracting her from thinking about cute girls she'd never be able to kiss again. Opening the new message, Emily froze on the sidewalk. "_You four can't solve the puzzle if you don't have all the pieces. Here's a clue: Ian Thomas didn't kill Alison DiLaurentis, but I know who did. Sleep tight, don't let the neighbors bite. – A_"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 – Tales and Trails**

* * *

Monday morning before the bell, the girls were gathered near their lockers. Though the other students couldn't quite put their finger on what was different this particular day, there was undeniably something up with the popular clique. They looked the same, dressed head to toe in the trendiest fashion, but there was something there. Perhaps it was the paranoid glances that gave them away, or maybe it was the dark bags under their eyes. Regardless, something unusual was taking place, and their peers were starting to notice.

Spencer shut her locker excessively hard. "No one got any more texts after the group message about Ian and Alison, right?" The girls remained quiet. "Alright, let's do a quick recap. Emily's doing what her text said to do; staying away from Maya. Hanna, you already took care of yours with the failed dinner party—"

"I really hope Kate and her mom have peaced out of Rosewood. I do not want to run into them ever again." Hanna interjected.

Annoyed by the interruption, but still on a roll, Spencer continued. "Aria and I figured out what we're going to do about her text. Our plan is to target our major suspects throughout the day and make it look like we're romantically reconnecting in front of them. If we get any A messages about it, we'll probably be able to tell which one sent it."

Hanna's eyes rapidly glanced between her phone screen and Spencer. "Who are our suspects again?"

Repressing a dramatic sigh, Spencer answered, "Right now we're thinking it's Mona, Noel Kahn, or Paige McCullers."

"Why Paige McCullers?" Hanna questioned, looking to Emily. "Like I know she's a raging asshole and makes a lot of anti-queer jokes, but do you really think she'd have access to the kind of information this creep has been using against us?"

"Anything is possible." Aria answered.

Emily nodded solemnly. "I'd hate to think that she'd stoop to this level, but we really can't afford to give anyone the benefit of the doubt right now. A knows a lot of stuff that we don't."

Hanna tossed her phone into her bag. "And why are we believing A? They could be totally bullshitting us about Ian and Ali."

"Yeah, but what if they aren't?" Aria asked. "What if the person messaging us is actually the one who killed them?"

"Okay, back up there, Sherlock." Spencer teased. "We're jumping to a lot of farfetched conclusions off of very little evidence. Like Hanna said, this could all be a big joke."

"Maybe we should just go to the police. They could track down whoever is sending these texts." Emily suggested.

"Em, you know we can't. Half the stuff we're being blackmailed with is only blackmail-worthy because we _don't _want the police finding out about it." Aria pointed out.

"You're right." Emily sighed. Going to the police could potentially endanger Jenna as well; a person she had promised herself to keep safe.

Hanna perked up, a smirk spreading across her lips. "Oh, and I remembered a few more secrets to share."

"Here we go." Spencer grumbled.

She ignored Spencer's comment. "Okay, so one time I had a threesome with this college girl named Samara and her curious roommate."

Emily's jaw dropped. "Samara? The girl who runs the Hollis Gay-Straight Alliance? The girl you tried to set me up with last year?"

"Yeah, that one!" Hanna chuckled. "What? It's not like I slept with her and _then_ tried to hook you two up. It happened the other way around. Anyway, moving on…you know that really hot girl I was talking to online for a while over the summer? The one I was even considering roadtripping over to Nebraska to meet? Totally got catfished by her. I found out because she did it to someone else too but they caught her and called her ass out on it. Turns out, she's married with like three kids, and that was _so_ _not_ her in those pictures she was using. You guys tried to warn me on that one but I just didn't listen. I mean, looking back on it now I see how the fact that she always made excuses not to video chat with me does throw up some red flags. But yeah, I never told any of you because I didn't want to deal with the 'I told you so' jokes."

"Is that it?" Spencer asked, ready to get on with her day.

"Hmm, oh you know that lesbian bar I go to? The one right outside of the Rosewood city limits? I'm in good with the bartender there. She sneaks me drinks when I go."

Aria rolled her eyes. "Shana the bartender? We already know about that."

"_Well_…" Hanna searched for something more impressive to spill. "I bet you guys didn't know that the real reason Mona and I stopped being friends was because she wanted to try having a relationship and I wasn't down for that."

"Really?" Emily raised a skeptical brow. "I thought Mona was straight."

"So did she." Hanna grinned. "Making out with me is clearly an experience that will change your life."

"We've made out." Emily reminded her. "More than once. Didn't change my life."

Hanna gave Emily an alluring look. "We both know that fucking around and kissing your friend isn't the same thing as kissing your friend with the intention of fucking. Remind me to give you the full Hanna Marin experience next time."

"Spencer!" Aria gestured inconspicuously down the hall. "Here comes Noel."

The two girls scrambled to stand beside each other before Noel had a chance to spot them. Spencer looked to Hanna and Emily. "Guys! Come on! Move aside. Pretend to talk to each other. It has to look like Aria is flirting with me."

Emily and Hanna, while sharing a mutual look of amusement, stepped to the side so that Aria and Spencer would be in full view. Noel and his football buddies were approaching quickly, leaving the girls with little time to prepare. Spencer waited expectantly for Aria to make a move. After a brief moment of uncertainty, Aria muttered a quick "fuck it" under her breath and entered Spencer's personal space. She placed her hand on Spencer's bicep, smiling up at her and flirtatiously batting her eyelashes.

"Is he looking?" Aria asked through her fake smile.

Spencer, owning a feigned smile of her own, glanced to the passing group of boys. Noel Kahn's piercing blue eyes were locked on them, sending a chill down Spencer's back. Out of the four girls, Aria and Spencer had suffered the most at the hand of Noel Kahn over the years. His antics had jeopardized Spencer's relationship with her family by outing her before she was ready. He'd created plenty of petty drama for their circle of friends over the years. If he was the person behind the texts, they were in for a long ride. Noel could hold a grudge for a lifetime.

Aria and Spencer kept up their charade until he was out of eyesight. Having not embraced so closely in quite some time, the pair blushed as they separated.

"Noel definitely saw you two." Hanna commented as she and Emily reclaimed their places. "And so did someone else."

"Who?" Aria asked just as her eyes landed on Ezra Fitz. He was standing in the doorway to his classroom with an apprehensive look. He averted his eyes upon being noticed, abruptly fleeing into his room. Her heart sank. "I'll catch up with you guys later."

Entering the classroom, Aria shut the door quietly behind her. She knew their time was limited, as the rows of empty desks would soon be filling up.

"Hey." She greeted, unsure of how much he had seen.

"Hi." Ezra was always hard to read, and today was no exception. He remained expressionless as Aria approached his desk.

"I don't know what you saw just now but…" She trailed off as his eyes locked with hers.

"Aria, I don't need any kind of explanation. I know that you and Spencer are just friends. Really, despite what it may have looked like, I know that it was probably nothing." He shrugged it off.

"Yeah." She jumped at the opportunity. "It was definitely nothing. We were just—"

He stopped her. "You don't have to defend your actions to me. I trust you."

Feeling incredibly guilty, and surprised at how casual he was being, she changed the subject. "What are you doing later? I was thinking maybe we could have dinner at your place?"

"Yeah." He nodded eagerly. "Yeah, that sounds perfect."

"Okay." She smiled. "Well, I guess I'll see you later in class then."

He flashed a charming smile. "I'll just wait here for you."

Aria sped out of the classroom. When the door swung closed behind her, Ezra's smile faded. Holding his phone under his desk, he pulled up a recently saved picture of Aria and Spencer kissing under plastic mistletoe. He stared intensely at the photo until a rush of incoming students pulled his attention back to reality.

When lunchtime rolled around, Spencer made a detour on her way to the cafeteria. It only took a few minutes of searching to find Toby and Caleb in the halls. She waved them over to a more secluded area.

She tried her best to sound excited. "I have something very interesting to share."

Without thinking, Toby asked, "Does this have anything to do with why Emily wanted to meet with Jenna first thing Saturday morning after that party?"

Halted in her tracks by this new information, Spencer faltered. "What…uh, what did they talk about?"

He shrugged. "No idea. I didn't stick around. But I know Emily said it was an emergency, said she had to speak with Jenna right away. Whatever it was, it didn't last long. She was in and out in like ten minutes. She didn't tell you any of this? I thought you guys shared everything."

"Everybody has their secrets." Something that was becoming more and more apparent with every passing hour. Spencer's mind was spinning in a dozen different directions. Did Emily tell Jenna about the blocked text messages? Was there more to the Jenna thing than they thought? Was there more than just guilt driving Emily's need to protect her?

"What did you want to tell us?" Caleb asked, checking the clock overhead. "We're going to be late for lunch; it's pizza Monday."

"Oh, right." Spencer had nearly forgotten. She stepped closer to the boys, lowering her voice. "I heard that Mr. Fitz is hooking up with one of his students."

"Who?" Toby questioned. Unlike his boyfriend, he actually seemed interested in the gossip.

"I don't know." She lied. A genius idea struck her, one that made a smile spread across her face. "But my sources say that it's a guy."

"Fitz is gay?" Caleb whispered.

Spencer shrugged, proud of her own cleverness. "Don't know for sure, but is it really that surprising?"

The boys shared a humorous look. Caleb laughed, "Not at all."

"It makes perfect sense." Toby agreed.

With a quick hair flip, Spencer added, "Do me a favor and keep this quiet. I'd hate to see Fitz lose his job, especially if it's not true."

The boys nodded, though Spencer knew that half the senior class would be buzzing about Fitz and his secret gay lover by the time the final bell rang.

At the lunch table, Emily and Hanna were busy chowing down while Aria retold the conversation she had had with her brother Mike about his secret dates with Noel Kahn.

"I'm just glad it ended before I knew about it." Aria admitted. "I would have freaked out."

"That's exactly why Mike didn't want you to know." Hanna pointed out, a glob of ketchup on the side of her mouth. Emily used her spare napkin to wipe it away for her. The exchange was so casual that the trio paid no attention to it, but a passing schoolmate certainly did.

"Get a room." Paige McCullers jeered.

"Get a life." Hanna half-heartedly called back. Fighting with Paige was typically Emily's domain.

Paige stopped, a smirk forming at the weak comeback. "Is that really the best you've got?"

Hanna chuckled. "You couldn't handle the best that I've got."

Before Paige could make another remark, Spencer slid onto the seat beside Aria. She reached for the shorter girl's hand, holding it in a way that would be obvious. Picking up on what Spencer was doing, Aria leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

"Just gonna stand there and stare?" Hanna asked Paige, a smug grin on her face. "And here I thought _we_ were the biggest queers in Rosewood."

Shocked by the display of affection between Spencer and Aria, and angered by Hanna's blatant accusation, Paige turned bright red and scurried away.

Aria dropped Spencer's hand the moment Paige was gone. "Two down, one to go."

"I haven't seen Mona all day." Hanna disclosed as she took a large bite of pizza crust.

"I ran into Toby and Caleb." Spencer announced as she unpacked her lunch. "I started the Fitz gossip. I added an extra detail just to be safe."

"Extradetail?" Aria nearly choked on her water.

"Relax, all I said was that I heard the student Fitz is hooking up with is a guy."

Hanna clasped her hands together as she laughed. "Now _that_ is good."

"If everyone thinks Fitz is seeing a guy, they're way less likely to ever suspect that it's actually you." Spencer explained after realizing Aria's paranoia was only increasing.

"Guys!" Emily drew the group's attention as she covertly pointed across the cafeteria. All eyes turned to see Maya St. Germain heading their way.

"Go to the bathroom." Hanna ordered. "We'll cover for you."

Not needing to be told twice, Emily jumped up from the table and darted off in the opposite direction of their approaching guest. Maya's face fell as she witnessed Emily taking off. Nevertheless, she put on a brave face and walked up to the table.

"Hey, Maya." Hanna greeted as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

"Is there a reason Emily is avoiding me?" Maya cut right to it. Spencer and Aria avoided looking at poor girl, turning over full responsibility to Hanna.

"Oh, um, listen, Maya, it's actually a really weird time for her right now." Hanna's bullshit was obvious, but something had to be done. "She gets really emotional around this time of year, you know, with it being the anniversary of Alison's death. Losing people is hard for her. The seven minutes in heaven thing was our idea. We thought if she just jumped in head first…maybe things it would be easier. We were wrong. It's our fault. We totally pushed her into it before she was ready. I'm really sorry, Maya."

Maya nodded understandingly. It was clear to everyone that she knew she was being blown off, but Maya was a reasonable person. "Hey, I get it. Just…let her know that I'm not taking it too personally, okay? I can tell that she's a really good person."

"She is." Hanna replied as Spencer and Aria nodded in agreement. "She's the best of us, hands down."

"If she ever changes her mind, you know where to find me." Maya bid farewell and made her way out of the cafeteria.

"That was rough." Aria commented once it was safe.

"Yeah, thanks for leaving me out there all by myself." Hanna joked. "Ugh, Maya is so cool. Her and Em would have made an awesome couple. This shit is majorly stressing me out. I need a cigarette."

Spencer dropped her plastic spork, completely dumbfounded. "I thought you quit!"

Ignoring Spencer's comment, Hanna declared, "I'll go get Emily."

"Oh! Wait, hold on. While she's not here, I have to tell you guys what Toby said." Spencer lowered her voice. "Apparently she went to visit Jenna Saturday morning before she showed up at The Brew. He didn't hear what they talked about, but he said Emily referred to it as '_an emergency_'. He said she was there for less than ten minutes, which I'm thinking is more than enough time to tell Jenna all about the texts we got."

"Well, the text _she_ got." Aria corrected. "If it was before The Brew, she wouldn't have known we'd all gotten texts yet."

Hanna chewed quietly on a bite of pizza crust before she said, "Since when did we make a rule that we can't tell anyone about the texts?"

Spencer blinked. "Who did you tell?"

The blonde shrugged. "Kate. But I only told her because I had to make sure this creep wasn't trying to blackmail her too."

"The more people we tell, the more likely it is that these secrets are going to get out." Spencer spread her hands. "The whole point is that we're trying to keep it all covered up. We can't let anyone else know."

"There were two people in that picture." Hanna defended. "I had to tell her about it. And I don't blame Emily for telling Jenna. This shit puts both of them at risk."

"There's no way I'm telling Ezra." Aria said between bites of salad. "He would get way too freaked out."

Spencer pinched the bridge of her nose. "Let's not forget that _anyone_ could be sending us these texts. If we trust the wrong person—if we talk about this to the wrong person, it could be game over for all of us. This anonymous douchebag knows stuff about us that we've never told anyone before. They might know things about Alison that we never knew. And if what they said is true, if Ian really didn't kill Alison, that means there is still a murderer walking around Rosewood." She pushed aside her lunch, her appetite gone. "We can't tell anyone else about this. We're in deep enough as it is."

Not too far away, at the last sink inside the girls' restroom, Emily was washing her hands for a third time. She'd gone in there to hide from Maya, but keeping up the charade that she was in there for practical reasons was getting tiresome. The door opened, the short freshman who had been in the room exiting while a new figure entered. Emily nearly let herself visibly roll her eyes as Paige McCullers approached the sinks. She began washing her hands as Emily pulled a few paper towels from the dispenser, neither girl acknowledging the other.

"Is there practice today?" Paige asked suddenly.

Emily stared at the girl's reflection. Of course there was practice that afternoon, and of course Paige already knew that. "Yeah."

Paige glanced into the mirror, catching Emily watching her. "Your friends aren't very subtle."

"Subtle?" Emily questioned, her annoyance already showing.

Paige shut off the sink, snatching a few paper towels and scrubbing her hands dry. "About how much they dislike me."

"There's not much to like." Emily regretted the words the moment that Paige's face fell. The girl aggressively tossed the wet paper towels into the trash and rushed out.

Before Emily could even process the encounter, Hanna appeared in the doorway. "Let's go, homo. The coast is clear; we talked to Maya for you."

Emily cracked a sad smile. "Thanks."

Hanna swaggered over to the sinks to check her reflection. "So…what'd you say to Paige? She practically ran over me."

"Nothing important." Emily answered as her phone buzzed. Hanna watched her pull it out, both afraid of what the message might be. Flooded with relief, Emily said, "It's just my mom."

Hanna cleared her throat. "So what's the deal with you and Jenna? Like, currently, I mean."

Emily glanced up from her phone. "There is no deal."

"Are you still friends?"

"We were never really friends."

"Still fuck buddies then?"

"We were never that either. We just made out a few times. Nothing under the clothes."

"So there's nothing going on there?"

"Nothing." Emily's brows furrowed. "Why? Are you interested?"

Hanna laughed. "Trust me, if I wanted to get with you, you'd know it."

Emily rolled her eyes. "I meant interested in Jenna."

"Oh, fuck no. I was just curious about what all went down with you and her."

"There's not much to tell." Emily's eyes fell to the floor. "I just feel really bad for her, you know?"

"Em, it's not your fault. What happened to her…" Hanna gave her arm a reassuring squeeze. "That was all Alison."

She shook off Hanna's hand. "We should get back to lunch."

When the final bell resounded throughout the halls of Rosewood High, Aria was grateful. It had been a long day and she was more than ready to spend an evening alone with Ezra. Her relief was vanquished, however, when she saw Mona at the end of the hall. She rushed to Spencer's side by their lockers, slyly setting their plan into motion for the final time. As Mona approached, Aria and Spencer made a big show of being utterly infatuated with each other. Aria played with a lock of Spencer's hair as the taller girl muttered flirty gibberish to her. They kept up the act until Mona was gone and their friends had arrived.

"She's gone." Hanna chuckled as the ex-girlfriends separated.

"Did she see?" Aria asked hopefully. Three times of pretending to stare lovingly at Spencer was starting to take its toll on her. She could only imagine how horrible it must be for the other girl to endure.

"I think so." Emily answered, opening her locker.

Hanna placed a hand on her hip. "You know, I've been asked like three times today if you two are back together."

Aria groaned and Spencer avoided eye contact, a small blush gracing her cheeks.

"Still no texts?" Emily drew the attention back to the plan.

"Not yet." Aria replied. "It's still early though. All of our other texts came at night."

Hanna smiled brightly as an idea came to her. "We should keep an eye on our suspects. We should watch all three of them—Mona, Noel, Paige—we should keep tabs on what they're up to. If we get a text from A and none of them are near their phones, we'll know it's not them."

"I have plans tonight." Aria said as she rummaged through her bag.

Hanna looked to Emily and Spencer expectantly. "Three of us, three suspects. I can handle Mona. Em's got Paige covered with practice."

Spencer made a distraught face. "I don't want to follow Noel around all night."

"Football practice starts on the back field around the time we get out of the pool." Emily disclosed. "He could be anywhere between now and then, but he'll definitely be back for that. After, who knows what Noel Kahn does with his free time."

"So it's settled." Hanna smiled excitedly.

Spencer grumbled. "Again, why do I have to follow Noel?"

"Aria is busy, I'm obviously the most qualified to follow Mona, and Emily will already be around Paige anyway." Hanna retorted.

"Until practice is over." Emily raised a brow. "What am I supposed to do after that? Follow her home?"

"Yes!" Hanna threw her hands up. "We're trailing these fuckers until one of them slips up."

Aria shrugged. "What if it isn't any of them? What if this is someone else?"

"Then we'll find that out, won't we?" Hanna countered. "This is war, ladies, and we are not about to go down without a fight. So quit your bitching, put on your big girl armor, and let's go catch the asshole that's fucking with us."

Spencer tried to withhold her sarcasm but failed. "Yes, ma'am."

After swim practice, Emily stood alone at the edge of the Rosewood High parking lot. Her hair, still wet from a grueling stint in the pool, caressed her skin gently as the wind picked up. Her eyes were on the object before her. She'd been staring at it for a while, not sure how she felt or why it had captured her attention so completely. It was just a stupid bench. Alison's name was engraved on a small brass plate, still shiny and scuff free. The flowers that had been placed around it the week before were long gone. It was just a bench, nothing more and nothing less. What an injustice, she thought to herself. This was no way to honor Ali; she was extraordinary. And this bench, it was nothing but a bench.

"You've been gawking at that thing for like five minutes straight."

Startled by the voice behind her, Emily whipped around to see Paige McCullers standing close by. Though she had reluctantly agreed to Hanna's plan to follow Paige around for the night, she had quickly lost interest in actually undertaking that scheme after hearing the girl spill a horridly boring and offensive tale to one of their teammates at practice. Rather than give her any satisfaction, Emily simply began walking away. Paige followed, making Emily feel uneasy. She stopped and faced the girl. "What? What do you want?"

Paige fiddled with her hands timidly. "We need to talk."

Emily waited impatiently for her to go on, getting frustrated when she remained quiet. "Talk about what?"

"About the letter you wrote." Paige lowered her voice, glancing over her shoulder. "If you were just messing with me, I want to know."

Emily shook her head. "I didn't send you any letters."

"You signed it." She wrapped her arms defensively around herself. "Then you slipped it into my gym locker before practice. It had to be you, no one else on the team could have written it."

Emily watched the other girl cautiously. "Why not?"

Paige's voice trembled as she started to doubt herself. "You…it wasn't you?"

Emily took a careful step forward, the other girl matching it with a step back. "Paige…I have no idea what you're talking about right now. Why would I write you a letter, sign it as myself, and then deny that I wrote it? That doesn't make any sense."

Without saying another word, Paige rushed off. Emily's eyes followed the girl as she hopped on her bike and peddled away. Racing to her car, Emily knew that she only had a few moments to spare before Paige would be untraceable. Following someone on a bike with a car was going to be tricky, but she was willing to give it her best try.

Across town, Aria had finally found a comfy spot to settle into on the couch. Ezra sat beside her, placing a mug of tea on the coffee table.

"Did you enjoy dinner?" He asked, reaching for the television remote.

"Yeah, it was delicious." She replied. "I don't think I could eat another bite."

He smiled, pleased with the cuisine he had prepared on such short notice. "So what movie do you want to watch?"

"You pick."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, surprise me."

In the process of searching for a movie, Ezra somehow began a long and dull rant about salaries and economic issues that nearly managed to lull Aria to sleep. Her eyes had slipped shut long before he noticed she wasn't paying any attention. Irritated, Ezra tossed the remote onto the coffee table resulting in a loud thud. Aria jumped, her eyes popping wide open.

"Am I boring you?" He asked calmly.

Trying to recover, she searched for an excuse. "No, no. It's just been a long day. I didn't realize how tired I was."

He exhaled sharply as he stared straight ahead at the blank television screen. "You've been acting strange all day. You didn't even look at me once during class, and you barely talked during dinner. What is happening, Aria? I thought we had something really good here."

"We do." She scooted closer to him. "We do. Everything is good."

"Then why are you lying to me?" He questioned.

"Lying…?" She trailed off, guiltily unsure of which lie he was referring to.

Reaching inside his pocket, Ezra pulled out his phone and found the picture he had spent so much time looking at throughout the day. He showed her the screen, watching as she visibly tensed up.

Slowly, she asked, "Where did you get that picture?"

"It was sent to me." He tossed his phone aside. "Anonymously." His jaw clenched. "Did you tell your friends about us? Did one of them send this to me?"

"Yes." She answered warily. "I told my friends."

He shook his head, disappointed. "We agreed to keep this quiet. You promised you were mature enough to handle this—"

"They're my best friends. They won't tell anyone. I trust them with my life." Aria pleaded.

"So you decide to trust them with my life too?" He exclaimed.

She'd never seen him so upset before. "Ezra, I—"

"No." He waved off her comment. "No, I don't want to hear it."

"Ezra!" She waited until he looked at her. "I'm sorry, okay? I should have told you that they knew. That text, it was probably one of them trying to be funny. And I'm sorry…that I lied about Spencer. The truth is it that she and I used to date. It's been over for a while—a whole year, even. But we're just friends now. I should have told you earlier. I just didn't know how to do it."

He pointed to his phone. "In what world is sending me that picture funny?"

"I don't know. Maybe Spencer sent it. She's…" Aria struggled to think of a fib to tell but only came up with the truth. "She doesn't approve of our relationship. She thinks it's too risky. But she's my friend, and she loves you as a teacher, so she would never tell anyone about us seeing each other."

He stared at the space between them. She wasn't sure how much he was buying or how much he thought was bullshit, but there a noticeable softness settling in. "Aria, I _really_ like you. But I also really like my job, not to mention my freedom. I just don't want this to blow up in our faces."

She swooped in and kissed him. Repositioning herself to where she was sitting in his lap with her legs on either side of his.

"Aria…" He groaned as she trailed kisses down his neck.

"I don't want to fight." She said quietly against his skin.

"Neither do I." He replied, swallowing hard as she softly grinded against his crotch.

Moving to look into his eyes, she smiled. "If I do that thing with my tongue, will you forgive me?"

Taking a moment to actually contemplate the offer, he had to physically shake his head to clear his mind of distracting thoughts. "We should probably talk about all of this some more."

"Should we?" She raised an inquisitive brow, grinding a little harder as she felt him starting to respond beneath her.

"We should." He answered, his eyes flickering to her lips. "I don't want you to tell anymore people, okay?"

"No one else will know. I promise." She kissed him again.

"And tell your friends not to text me anything else." He said as she unbuttoned his shirt. His hands gripped her hips as she continued to grind against him. "I really want to make this work."

"I do, too." She agreed. "Now stop talking."

Somewhere amidst the stripping of clothes, the kissing, the rush to the bed, the search for the condom, and the dirty whispers, Aria's mind traveled to the picture of her and Spencer kissing under mistletoe. Despite the fact that Ezra was literally on top of her, she couldn't help but travel back to the night that picture was taken. It had been Christmas Eve, not long after she and Spencer had started dating. There was a party at the Hastings household. Parents, siblings, family friends, everyone was gathered for the night to celebrate. Spencer had taken her upstairs to give Aria her gift early. Emily and Hanna were in on it; they were the ones guarding the bedroom door. She and Spencer had had sex before that night, but it was a thrilling rush to know that right downstairs were their family and friends. Afterward, Spencer gave her a beautiful bracelet. Despite how much she had adored that bracelet, she'd given it back to her when they broke up.

Ezra grunted loudly, pulling Aria to the present. His eyes were shut, his body becoming sweaty as it moved against hers. She was enjoying the experience, just as she had the first three times they'd had sex. But there was something different about this one. She felt her mind travel back to thoughts of Christmas and mistletoe and Spencer. Ezra was more than able to turn her on, but no one had ever given her sexual gratification like Spencer had. Aria closed her eyes, suddenly remembering the way Spencer's lips felt on her skin. The way she touched Aria like she was a gift, like she something incredibly special that needed to be cherished. The way she took her time, went slow and steady and was able to build up the most incredible orgasms that Aria had ever had. She remembered the last time she and Spencer and been that intimate together. It had been the middle of the summer, one of the hottest days at that. They'd been lounging around the Hastings home, wasting time. One thing led to another and suddenly Aria was perched on the kitchen counter, her skirt hiked up and her panties slipped to the side. All it had taken to send her over the edge was for Spencer to give one look up at her from between her thighs.

She came hard, her nails digging into the body above her. Her eyes snapped open as Ezra moaned. His body tensed up as he threw his head back. He slipped out of her and stumbled to the bathroom to clean up. She stayed there, naked and sweaty in his bed, and thought about what had just happened.

The sun was beginning to set as Hanna searched her purse for sunglasses. Putting them on, she checked to make sure Mona was still right where she'd last seen her.

"I'm back." Hanna announced, holding her phone up to her ear again.

"Is your stakeout as boring as mine?" Emily asked through the phone.

Hanna tossed her purse to the passenger seat, eyes on Mona across the street. "It was fun for a like a hot minute. God, I don't understand how one person can spend this much time sitting at a laptop."

"At least she took a window seat." Emily grumbled. "I had to actually follow Paige inside of Rosewood Mall."

"Did she buy that sweater?" Hanna asked, genuinely interested.

"No." Emily answered, genuinely disinterested. Hanna had made her describe the sweater in detail while Paige had spent close to five minutes debating on whether or not to buy the piece of clothing.

"Hmm." Hanna mulled it over. "I might have to go check that sweater out later."

"Can I go home yet?" Emily whined. "Paige has been inside her house for almost half an hour. I don't think she's going anywhere else tonight."

"We need eyes on her!" Hanna demanded.

"Oh, okay, should I just scale the side of her house and peep into her bedroom window?"

"Find a way in there."

"_What_?"

"Make an excuse. Say you need some homework or something. Get in there. If you're with her, she can't send any texts. That way if we do get a message, we'll know it didn't come from her."

Emily groaned. "Hanna, I can't just go up to the door and walk in. She'd never let me in her house, especially after that whole letter thing."

"Right." Hanna sighed. "The letter. Do you really think A sent her a letter pretending to be you? What if it's just Paige trying to cover her own tracks? What if she's just trying to make it look like she's getting A stuff too?"

"You didn't see her. She made it sound like the letter had a secret in it, something that only I could have been able to know. But I don't even know any secrets about Paige, so I don't know what—"

"Just go up to the door and ask what the freakin' letter says."

"I can't just do that."

"Yes, you can. Your name is on that letter, you have a right to know what's in it."

"I guess."

"While you're in there, be sure to keep her distracted. Do something crazy. Show her your tits or—"

Emily ended the call without waiting for a goodbye. She hesitantly got out of the car, walked up to the front door, and knocked. She waited what felt like an eternity for Paige to open to the door. The girls stared at each other, both waiting for something to happen.

Emily cleared her throat. "You said that we needed to talk. Let's talk."

Back in the Rosewood High School parking lot, Spencer was struggling to stay awake. Sitting all alone waiting for Noel to get out of football practice was exhausting, especially with the setting sun glaring into her eyes. She contemplated calling Aria several times, but she didn't know what the girl was busy doing. As if on cue, her phone lit up. It wasn't the friend she had been thinking of, but talking to anyone would be better than sitting in silence.

"Hey, Han." Spencer greeted.

"How's Noel?" She could practically feel the blonde's smile through the phone.

"Still running around a field. How's Mona?"

"Still sitting inside Apple Rose Grille. I don't even think she's blinked in over an hour. She's just staring at her laptop and typing. She _never_ stops. It's like watching a robot."

"Have you heard anything from Emily?"

"Oh, yeah, get this: Paige has some kind of a letter that was sent to her and signed with Emily's name."

"A letter? What does it say?"

"We don't know yet. Em thinks A sent it. She said it sounded like there was some kind of big secret in it that has Paige all freaked out."

"I'm sure Paige McCullers is full of secrets. It could be anything, though. It could be totally unrelated to A."

"How many people do you think this asshole is blackmailing?"

"You think there are more people getting messages than just us?"

"This kid could be texting half of Rosewood. Secrets are like currency in this town."

Spencer chewed on her bottom lip thoughtfully. "You're right."

Hanna giggled. "I love it when you say that."

"Don't get used to it." She fired back with a smirk.

"Oh, shit." Hanna fumbled with her keys. "Mona's on the move. Gotta go."

The line went dead and suddenly Spencer was back to sitting alone with her thoughts. It was dark by the time Noel finally emerged from the locker rooms. He joked around with a few pals before heading off on his own. Determined not to give herself away, Spencer followed his car as stealthily as she could manage. He drove straight to his. She parked on the curb a little ways down the road and waited. She would give him an hour to reappear of else she was calling it a night. Luckily, he was back outside in no time at all. He drove to the store, resurfacing with a bouquet of flowers. She followed him again, this time parking across the street from an apartment complex. She watched him go inside, debating on whether or not she should follow him on foot. Her attention was pulled completely from Noel as her eyes fell on the car parked in front of her. It was a car she could recognize anywhere, a car that she had been half-naked in the backseat of many times before.

Spencer desperately searched for her phone, her hands shaky as she dialed. "Come on, come on, pick up…" She pleaded with the seemingly endless ringing. The call went straight to voicemail, which she promptly hung up on. She dialed again, this time getting an answer on the second ring.

"_What_?" Aria's snapped, shutting Ezra's apartment door behind her.

"Where are you right now?" She asked quickly.

"I'm busy, that's where I am." Aria answered as the heels of her shoes clicked with every step she took.

"I'm parked behind your car." Spencer announced.

Just as Aria was about to accuse Spencer of following her rather than following the person she was actually supposed to be following, Noel Kahn rounded the corner at the end of the hall. His eyes were glued to his phone, his other hand holding an absurdly large bouquet of flowers. Aria quickly backtracked and rushed inside of Ezra's apartment, her still ongoing call with Spencer already forgotten.

Ezra raised a quizzical brow from his seat on the couch. "Did you forget something?"

"Noel Kahn is coming." Aria hissed, ducking behind the kitchen counter as a knock sounded on the door.

Confused, Ezra took his time getting to the door. He opened it slowly, peaking out to see Noel Kahn on his welcome mat.

"Mr. Fitz." Noel smiled broadly.

"Noel…" Ezra glanced to the place where Aria was hiding. "Is there something that I can do for you?"

Noel shrugged, his smile never fading. "That depends. These are for you, by the way."

Ezra stared at the flowers with his mouth hanging wide open, entirely staggered by what was happening. "Why are you showing up at my apartment with flowers?"

With a playful wink, Noel said, "I think we both know why I'm here."

Ezra looked around the empty hall. "Is this some kind of senior prank?"

"Trust me." Noel thrust the flowers into Ezra's grasp. "No one will ever find out that I was here."

"I think you should go." Ezra suggested, haphazardly tossing the flowers on to the kitchen counter. A stray petal fell on the top of Aria's head.

"Come on, Fitz." Noel stepped closer, his hand reaching out and in a weak attempt to push open the door.

"Go. Now." Ezra demanded.

Confused, Noel stepped back. "What? Am I not your type or something? Because I would totally bottom for you, like that's not a problem."

Ezra slammed the door shut. He watched through the peep hole until Noel was gone before turning to see Aria admiring the flowers.

"Wow." She giggled. "I knew Noel was full of himself, but _this_?"

Ezra stood still, his hands on his hips. "What just happened?"

"You just got hit on." Aria laughed at his discomfort.

"Why did he think I would be interested?" Ezra asked, more to himself than to her.

Aria's laughter died out as she recalled Spencer's addition to the gossip she'd spread to Toby and Caleb. Word must have travelled fast if Noel was already hearing about Fitz hooking up with a male student. Forgetting that her phone, sitting on the counter beside Noel's flowers, was still in a call with Spencer, Aria glided to Ezra's side with the intention of distracting him.

Outside in her car, Spencer listened attentively as the two whispered affectionate things to each other between kisses. She felt sick to her stomach as she imagined the scene. Noel, his ego crushed, barreled out of the apartment complex in a hurry. Just as she was cranking the car to pursue him, she heard Ezra say "I love you". Her body froze. She was incapable of moving. Her heart pounded in her chest, and the blood rushed in her ears, almost making her miss the soft declaration of "I love you too" from Aria.

Hearing the girl she loved tell someone else that she loved them was painful. Spencer never imagined this possibility. She never thought about Aria and Fitz lasting. She never dreamed Aria could move on and find someone else to love.

Inside the McCullers household, Emily awkwardly sat opposite Paige at the dinner table. She had made them coffee, but neither girl touched the cooled drinks before them.

"Where are your parents?" Emily asked conversationally, noticing how silent the large house was.

"At work." Paige answered quietly.

"Do they usually work this late?"

"Yeah, I guess. It doesn't bother me. I'm used to being on my own."

Emily absentmindedly tapped the table. "Listen, Paige, about the letter—"

"You said you didn't write it, and I believe you." She cut in. "But I need your help finding out who did." She reached into her back pocket, unfolding the paper to slide it across the table.

_I know what you did. Alison told me everything. Quit the act and come clean or else. – Emily_

"This isn't even close to my handwriting." Emily muttered, her eyes scanning over the words. She was quiet for a few moments. "What did you do to Ali?"

Paige snatched the letter back. "I never did anything bad _to_ her…just for her." Emily was about to ask one of her many questions when Paige abruptly stood. In the distance, a door could be heard opening. "My dad is home early. You have to go. Now. He can't know you were here. I'm not allowed to have guests over without asking first." Speechless, Emily allowed Paige to yank her to her feet and pull her through the house to the backdoor. She all but pushed Emily into the yard.

"What am I supposed to do now?" Emily whispered hurriedly, wandering around in a circle.

"Just hop the fence." Paige instructed.

"Promise me that we'll talk about this tomorrow." Emily pointed a stern finger at her.

Paige bounced anxiously on her heels. "Fine. Fine, we'll talk tomorrow. Just, please, don't let my dad see you leaving."

Emily fled the scene by rushing to the nearest fence and effortlessly leaping over. She ran to her car, hopping in and driving off without ever being spotted.

Meanwhile, Hanna was in the middle of a very important game on her phone when an incoming text from Spencer ruined all of her progress. Cursing at the interruption, she opened the message anyway. "_It doesn't look like Noel is leaving his house again. I'm going home. We'll talk about everything in the morning before the bell_."

Hanna sighed, tapping her phone idly as she looked down the street at Mona's house. The girl had gone straight home after her evening at the Apple Rose Grille. Her car was still sitting right where she'd parked it, and her bedroom window still lit up. It looked as if Hanna's efforts were done for the night.

She was reaching for her seatbelt when her phone lit up again. An unknown number stared back at her. She opened the message with her breath held. A video popped up, black and white security cam footage playing automatically. Hanna immediately recognized the location as a department store inside Rosewood Mall. Her mouth fell open as she watched herself appear on the screen. She walked up to the temporarily empty store counter, took a pair of display sunglasses, admired them in a nearby mirror, and strutted out the doors without ever looking back. The video was followed by the text: "_A stalker, a liar, and a thief? You're becoming quite the well-rounded criminal. Careful, Hanna. I'd hate to see such a pretty face behind bars. – A_"

Aria had only gotten through two math problems when her text came. With a groan, she clicked on the message. "_Good job reeling Spencer in, but now you've got two fish on the line. Cut one of them loose or there'll be some fresh sushi in prison. —A_"

Putting her car in park, Spencer noticed the text alert on her phone. She stared at the icon for a few moments before finding the strength to read the message. "_Dying to know the truth about what happened to Alison? Here's a hint: ask your sister. —A_"

Emily stripped off her shirt, ready to change into comfy clothes. She stopped short, her eyes landing on her buzzing phone. Dreading what it might be, she walked over to the device and slid open the text. "_You want the truth about Alison? Paige will guide you in the right direction. Never forget that we're all connected. —A_"


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 – Fibs and Fails**

* * *

Perched on the row of the sinks in the girls' restroom, Hanna was admiring her nails and smoking her third cigarette of the day. She'd skipped going to Fitz's class. Her stress levels were through the roof and some alone time was just the thing she needed. Her friends, with their paranoia and endless theories, were only proving to increase her anxiety. The previous night's stakeout missions had failed; not a single one of them had managed to get eyes on their target when the A texts were sent. Mona was still their top suspect, but they couldn't rule out Noel or Paige just yet.

The loosely hanging cigarette nearly fell from Hanna's lips as the restroom door opened. She'd chosen that room specifically because it was remote and rarely used. Encountering a rogue classmate was not something she'd planned on. Her surprise increased as Jenna Marshall carefully maneuvered her way through the door, her white cane clicking eerily against the floor.

Jenna stopped short, her nose alerting her to Hanna's smoky presence. "Those are bad for you, you know."

Hanna found herself compelled to talk to the girl, especially after learning the truth behind the fire that had blinded her. "Things that are bad for you are always the most fun."

Jenna smiled. "Hanna Marin?"

"Neat party trick." Hanna grumbled. She had hoped to remain anonymous. The two of them had never spoken privately before. All of their encounters had been centered on Jenna and Alison throwing quips and harsh remarks across a busy hallway; Hanna standing as a silent observer along with Emily, Spencer, and Aria. Alison had painted Jenna as a trashy wannabe who was desperate to climb Rosewood's social ladder. Hanna had never even bothered to give Jenna the benefit of the doubt before hearing Emily's secret about her.

"It's a gift." Jenna stepped closer to the sinks, her hand moving to rest casually on the counter.

"Can I ask you a question?" Hanna wondered aloud as she used the nearest sink as an ashtray.

Jenna stood unmoving, suspicious. "Since when do you have an interest in my life?"

"I was talking to Shana Fring at The Pink Drink the other day." Hanna lied with ease. "She had some pretty interesting things to say about you."

Jenna laughed darkly at the mention of her ex-girlfriend. "I bet she did. Bitterness tends to lead to creativity."

Though Hanna had heard Shana talk about Jenna a few times in the past, the chatty bartender hadn't mentioned the blind girl once since their breakup. "Just to get the record straight, who dumped who?"

"I broke up with her." Jenna answered with a small smirk. "And she begged me to stay."

Hanna allowed her eyes to freely roam up and down Jenna's body. The girl was beautiful and mysterious, there was no denying that. Despite her lack of vision, Jenna had no problems attracting others to her. She was rarely ever seen without a romantic companion on her arm. "You must have one hell of a talented tongue to get a girl like that begging."

Jenna turned slightly to face the mirror, as if she were checking her reflection. Hanna wondered what it was like to never know how you looked, to never be able to see your own face again. Jenna turned back to Hanna, her lips a thin line. "Emily told you, didn't she? That's why you're talking to me."

"She didn't say what Ali used to blackmail you with." Hanna was quick to clear Emily's name. The last thing they needed was for the clique to be on Jenna Marshall's bad side. "But she did tell us the truth about what happened in the garage. About what Alison did."

Jenna shook her head. "You just can't trust anyone to keep a secret these days."

Standing, Hanna flicked what was left of her cigarette into the nearest toilet and flushed the evidence away. She walked over to where Jenna stood. "Don't blame Emily. She's going through a rough time right now. We all are…she's not the only one getting texts."

"Texts?" Jenna questioned with heartfelt concern. "I didn't know she'd gotten more."

"Yeah, there have been a few more." Worried she might give too much away, Hanna made her way for the exit. She paused, turning back as she opened the door to say, "I'm really sorry about what Ali did to you. I'm sorry we never…we let her be really awful to you freshman year; to a lot of people, actually. I'm sorry."

Inside Mr. Fitz's classroom, the bell was only moments away. Spencer's jaw was in overdrive as she anxiously chewed on a piece of gum. The fruity flavor had run out around some time ago.

After meeting with Hanna and Emily before school and discussing the previous night's failed missions, the three of them hadn't found much else to talk about. None of them had heard from Aria; they weren't any closer to figuring out who A was; and, due to their futile attempts to discover A's identity, they seemed to be in even more trouble than they were to start with.

Spencer looked over her shoulder to see Emily fidgeting with a pencil. The girl's eyes were glazed over, staring absently ahead. She had revealed to Spencer and Hanna that she would follow through with grilling Paige McCullers for more information. Spencer didn't like the idea of Emily being alone with Paige, but it needed to be done if they had any hope of crossing her off their list of suspects.

Spencer eyed Aria and Hanna's empty seats. Hanna had been a nervous wreck all morning. She'd reeked of cigarette smoke from the moment she entered the building, dark circles under her eyes and a bite to her tone. The blonde was more convinced than ever that Mona was A, but the lack of proof was eating away at her. As for Aria, they had yet to hear what her text from A said, but her absence was enough to let them know it couldn't be anything good. Spencer's own text, telling her to ask Melissa about what really happened to Alison, had her up for most of the night. She couldn't shake the feeling that A was up to no good. Were they trying to frame Melissa for a crime they committed? Were they just trying to stir up trouble by filling Spencer's head with doubts about her own sister?

Spencer was pulled from her thoughts as the bell rang. She grew uneasy as their teacher's voice summoned her to remain after class for a quick word with him. She packed her bag slowly as her fellow students filed out. Emily gave her a reassuring squeeze on the arm as she passed. Fitz stood by the door, closing it as the last straggler exited the room.

"Yes, Mr. Fitz?" Spencer prompted. She held her books close to her chest.

He walked over to his desk and leaned against it. His eyes had trouble finding hers. "I don't really know how to say this, but uh…Aria told me that you know. That you and your friends know…about our relationship."

All she could do was stare at him in disbelief. It was one thing to hear Aria talk about her relationship with Fitz, but it was completely surreal to hear him say the words out loud too.

He cleared his throat, clasping his hands together. "She also mentioned that you disapprove of us seeing each other—which I completely understand, I'm not here to try and sway your opinion on the matter. But…I'm sure you can see why I would be concerned about something like that."

Her mind travelled back to the night before, to the sound of him and Aria declaring their love for one another. Feeling jealous, but mostly irritated, she kept her reply as casual as she could manage. "I'm sorry, Mr. Fitz, I'm not quite sure I know what you mean."

With an exasperated sigh, his gaze dropped to his hands for a few moments as he tried to think of what to say. "You're not dumb, Spencer, we both know that. Honestly, you're one of my favorite students. I would hate for something personal to get in the way of our professional teacher-student relationship."

Spencer all but glared at him. "Is that what you told Aria when you found out she was your seventeen year old student?"

He swallowed hard, his cheeks flushing a light shade of red. Was he getting angry? Embarrassed? "I understand why you feel that way. Objectively, I feel that way too. But we both know what she's like…how hard she is to stay away from." Caught off guard, Spencer struggled to find her words. He noticed her dilemma, jumping at the chance to add more. "There's not much that I can offer you, Spencer, other than the sincerest promise that I would never do anything to hurt her." He stood up, careful to keep a good distance between them. "I care about her, I really do, but I also care about my job and my students. That includes you, Emily, and Hanna. I'm not looking for your permission to be with her—"

"But you are." Spencer cut in dryly. "Otherwise we wouldn't be having this conversation right now. You want to be reassured that I won't go running to the police."

He clenched his jaw repeatedly before answering. "I know what you're going to do." He watched her, cautious. "You're going to do whatever is best for Aria. I know that's what you'll do, because I'm going to do the same thing. That's how love works. That's why I'm here talking to you right now. I can make her happy. I can love her the way that she deserves to be loved. To me, being with her _is_ right thing to do."

Spencer's knees were shaking, her heart racing, but she forced herself to remain composed. She wouldn't let him see how emotional she'd become. Taking in a deep breath and exhaling sharply, she replied, "Aria is capable of making her own decisions. Her happiness shouldn't be dictated in a classroom that smells like Axe deodorant by her English teacher and one of her best friends. You do not have my promise that I will never tell anyone about your _illegal_ activities with a seventeen year old girl because of the simple fact that I don't trust you. I'll stand by her side, let her make her own choices, but don't think for a second that you have my blessing to fuck your underage student." She marched out of the classroom, never looking back.

At lunch, Emily finished her meal quickly. She had a prearranged meeting to attend that she wasn't particularly looking forward to. Trekking across Rosewood High and venturing out into the parking lot, she unenthusiastically hopped into the back of her own car. She waited for a long time, so long that she was about to give up waiting entirely when the door popped open and Paige McCullers slid inside.

"I was beginning to think you weren't going to show." Emily admitted, her eyes scanning the parking lot.

"I don't break my promises." Paige replied with a nervous smile. It quickly faded, replaced with an uneasy frown. "So…how do we do this?"

Emily shrugged. "Tell me what happened between you and Alison."

"None of this can ever leave the car, okay?" She held out her hand. "Shake on it. Swear you won't tell anyone. Not even your friends."

Hesitantly, Emily shook her hand. "I swear."

With great reluctance, Paige began. "The last day of freshman year I did something really stupid and Alison held it over me. She blackmailed me into doing things that I never would have done if I wasn't so scared of her telling people about what had happened."

Emily couldn't help but ask. "What was she using against you?" Paige vigorously shook her head, prompting Emily to add, "Listen, my name was on that letter someone sent you. I'm a part of this now, and I need to know exactly what we're dealing with here. I can't help you figure out who sent the letter if I don't even know what the letter is about."

Paige groaned, torn between keeping her secrets and finding out the identity of the person who knew those secrets. "It happened in the locker room after gym class. We were the last two in there and—"

Emily gasped, her hands flying up to cover her gaping mouth. "_You're_ The Locker Room Girl?"

Paige stared at the headrest on the seat in front of her. "How much do you know?"

Emily was nearly dumbfounded. The girl from Ali's infamous locker room story had been Paige McCullers all along. She'd heard that tale dozens of times at different parties and social events. It was a favorite of Alison's, and now she understood why. "Ali used to tell us a story about The Locker Room Girl. She never said who it was, no matter how much we begged her to tell us. In the story, The Locker Room Girl confronts her about foul play on the field. Things get heated, almost violent. Right when she thought she was going to get punched in the face…The Locker Room Girl shoved her up against the wall and kissed her." A silence fell between them. Carefully, and unsure if she should, Emily reached out a comforting hand and placed it over Paige's. To her surprise, Paige didn't recoil from the physical contact. "Paige, I won't tell anyone that was you."

"I'm not…" Her lip trembled. "I'm not. And she was going to tell people that I was if I didn't do things for her."

Emily eagerly leaned closer. "What did Ali make you do?"

Paige pulled her hand away from Emily's touch, her eyes roaming the parking lot. "She wanted drugs—cocaine, and she wanted me to get it for her. She had the money, all in bills. I'd never seen so much cash in a bag like that before. It was like in the movies, you know? It didn't feel real. She told me to go into Rosewood Country Club and find a dealer. There was this guy, he worked there. In the kitchens, I think. His name was Alex. She told me to look for him. He had plenty to sell in his truck, and her money bought everything that he had. It couldn't have been for personal use, I figured she was probably going to a party or something. When I dropped off the bag for her, she said she had one last job for me to do. She promised that she'd never tell anyone what happened in the locker room if I did this one last thing for her. She said she needed someone on lookout for her that night. It was at the Edgewood Motor Court. She had a key to a room. I sat outside on a bus stop bench for two hours waiting for her to come back out. She was meeting someone. I never saw who it was, but they had to have been old enough to rent their own room."

"Did she have the drugs with her at the motel?"

"She could have had some on her, in her purse, but she there's no way she could have brought everything."

"Who were you supposed to be looking out for?"

"She gave me a description, but it was so generic that it could have been half the people renting rooms that night. I just assumed it was probably some undercover cop she'd come across before."

"Do you remember what the description was?"

Paige shrugged. "Tall guy. Early twenties. White. Dark hair. I was just supposed to call if someone like that was acting sketchy in their car or hanging around outside. I was scared out of my mind. I felt like an accomplice. Or like she was going to find a way to pin whatever she was doing on me if she got caught.

"She probably would have." Emily mumbled. "Ali didn't say anything else?"

"When she was done in the room, she came outside and told me I could go home. She said not to worry about the incident in the locker room. We were square." She glanced at Emily. "I never saw Alison again after that night. I went to swim camp that summer. She died the night before I got back into Rosewood. My dad and I had to pass through a police blockade to even get into the neighborhood because they were trying to keep out reporters."

Emily placed her hands in her lap. "You did all that for her just so she wouldn't tell people that you kissed her? You broke the law to keep something like that a secret?"

Paige blushed. "I was just a kid! I didn't know what to do. Everyone would have believed her. You were always her friend, you didn't know what it was like to deal with her mean side. She was cruel, manipulative. She could have spun the story into something outrageous."

"Why did you kiss her?" Emily knew her question probably wouldn't get answered, but she felt obligated by her curiosity to ask.

Paige's eyes grew. "What?"

"Why did you kiss her?"

Paige's hand moved for the door handle. It rested there for a few moments as an internal battle commenced within her. Finally, after a few apprehensive moments, her hand returned to its former place in her lap. "I try not to think about it."

"Why?" Emily pressed. "Because you like kissing girls?" Paige's eyes met Emily's with newfound intensity. "It's not the worst thing in the world, Paige. And it definitely doesn't mean that you're gay." Paige remained silent on the matter, her eyes locked hard with Emily's. "Have you kissed any other girls?" The atmosphere in the backseat of the car shifted. Emily could feel it happening. The tension between them was morphing into something new. Something, for reasons she couldn't explain, sexual. "Have you ever thought about kissing any other girls?" For the slightest moment, Paige's eyes flickered down to Emily's lips. "Maybe doing more than just kissing?" Paige's jaw clenched, the blush on her cheeks spreading. Her eyes fell to Emily's lips again, lasting a little longer this time. Suddenly the image of Paige shoving Alison up against a wall popped into Emily's mind. The moment was ruined for her as she recalled the reason why they were there. She cleared her throat and glanced around the parking lot. "I don't know who sent you that letter, but I'm going to help you figure it out."

With an indiscernible expression, Paige nodded her head and opened the car door. She muttered a quick thanks before hurrying away.

When school was over, the girls regrouped near their lockers. Aria's absence had them more off balance than usual. Without her there, Spencer's comments about Fitz flowed freely. Hanna and Emily refused to voice any opinions to her about their English teacher, but they did agree that Aria was fully capable of making her own decisions.

"Oh, Em, how'd it go with Paige McCullers?" Spencer asked as they began walking to the parking lot.

"Very enlightening." Emily answered, holding the door open for them. "But I swore that I wouldn't tell anyone what she said. Don't give me those looks! I don't why, but she trusts me to keep her secrets. What kind of a person would I be if I just ran back to you guys and spilled everything?"

Hanna rolled her eyes. "Whatever she told you could have just been a bunch a lies."

Emily stopped, unintentionally placing them beside Alison's memorial bench. "She wouldn't lie about what she told me, and I don't think she's A. She's terrified about these secrets getting out."

"How many secrets are we talking about?" Spencer questioned, checking her phone to see if Aria had replied to any of her dozen text messages yet.

"A good handful." Emily allowed. "I'm going to help her find out who sent her that letter. I'll keep an eye on her."

Noticing Mona exit the school building, Hanna pulled her sunglasses over her eyes. "If it does turn out to be Mona doing all this crap, I'll rip her head off with my bare hands."

Only a few blocks away, Aria sat in the back of The Brew with a book in her hands. Though her eyes scanned the pages, no words were retained. Her mind was muddled with thoughts of Ezra and Spencer. Her text from A declared that she must choose one of them to be with. As she and Spencer had not actually reconnected romantically, choosing to remain with Ezra seemed like the logical thing to do. But something was toying with her. She couldn't shake the memory of her most recent visit to Ezra's bed, when she'd reached her climax only after recalling the last time she'd been intimate with Spencer. It probably wasn't a big deal, but it had been stressing her out the entire day.

Ezra was kind and mature. Always thoughtful and considerate. She knew he was a catch. He was a man you could bring home to meet the parents; if he wasn't her English teacher, that is. With him, things were easy. Things with Spencer had always been unpredictable. One minute they were madly in love, the next they were arguing about colleges, the next they were naked in bed. If she gave Spencer her heart, there was no telling what kind of pain she could end up with. Being with Ezra kept her away from Spencer, which was good for the both of them. They didn't need any more bumps in their friendship, no more heartbreak. She knew that Ezra was the safe choice.

Aria sighed into her coffee, closing the book and rubbing her tired eyes. It had been a long day of avoiding her friends, and it would be an even longer night of debating on what to do.

Inside the house of Hastings, Spencer was entering the kitchen. Melissa was seated at the table with her laptop, a bowl of fruit before her. Spencer plucked a grape from the bowl, fully aware of how much her sister hated people touching her food, and popped it into her mouth.

Irritated, Melissa forced a smile. "Hello, Spencer."

"You're looking lovely today, Melissa." Spencer replied, taking a second grape.

"What do you want?" She asked, gently sliding the bowl of fruit out of Spencer's reach.

Spencer leaned against the counter with a sly grin. The best way to get Melissa to talk about something was to catch her off guard. It was a considerably difficult task to accomplish, but Spencer knew exactly how to break through the defenses. "Did you kill Alison?"

Seemingly unbothered, Melissa closed her laptop to give Spencer her full attention. "And why would I have done something like that?"

Spencer shrugged. "She was screwing your fiancé right under your nose."

She remained calm. "Ian never touched her like that."

"So you say." Spencer replied. "Where were you that night? If I'm remembering your alibi right, you told the police that you were at your apartment in Philly. You rushed straight home, getting here before they'd even taken the bodies away?"

"_Body_." Melissa corrected sharply. "Ian's body had already been taken away when I got here."

"Oh, that's right." Of course Spencer had known the order of events; she'd gone over them hundreds of times. She'd only wanted to test Melissa's story. "When you arrived, they were still digging Ali up." Melissa's absence of a reply motivated Spencer to press harder. "Why'd he kill her? Why'd your fiancé murder an innocent young girl?"

Melissa abruptly stood, her hands balled into fists. "I don't know! Is that what you want to hear? I. Don't. Know. I don't know why my fiancé killed your friend, Spencer. I don't know why the man I loved, the man I wanted to raise a family with…Ian never touched her! He didn't even _like_ her. She was just a mean little kid with a crush on him. You don't know how many nights I've wasted trying to figure it all out. One day I have a fiancé, a man I love more than anything, and the next day I'm in the papers as the pathetic dumbass who almost married a homicidal pedophile." Her voice broke and her hand flew up to cover her mouth. Tears streamed down her face. "I don't have the answers you're looking for, Spencer, but if you find them…let me know."

As her sister fled the kitchen, Spencer stole a few more grapes from the fruit bowl and rushed out of the house. She drove straight to the Montgomery home, walked up to the front door, barged past Mike as he opened it, marched up the stairs, and found herself standing in the middle of Aria's empty bedroom.

Downtown at Rosewood Mall, Hanna was busy checking the price tag on a sweater when she happened to spot a familiar face a few clothing racks away. Jenna Marshall, with only her white cane to guide her, ran her hands along the line of shirts. She stopped suddenly, backtracking and moving her fingers across a certain fabric. A smile graced her lips.

Hanna was utterly intrigued. She'd never considered how a blind person would shop for clothes before. Jenna was always dressed well. Her fashionable taste had been known since the moment she'd set foot inside Rosewood High. But how did she dress herself in the latest fashion without being able to see it? Unable to stop herself, Hanna wandered over to where Jenna stood.

"That's not really your color." Hanna was pleased to see Jenna's smile remain where it was.

"Perhaps not." She replied nonchalantly. "But it feels nice. Like happiness."

"How so?" Hanna couldn't deny that she was curious about the other girl.

Jenna's smile, much like her tone, turned bittersweet. The fabric was still delicately placed between her finger and thumb. "It reminds me the last day that I could see. It was a beautiful, sunny day. My mom took me around town. Girl's day. We ate lunch, had ice cream, did some shopping. We even splurged a little and got pedicures. She wanted to treat me to a day out with her before she had to leave for her business trip. She was supposed to be gone a week; she was back the next morning, of course. But this…this feels like the blouse she wore that day. It reminds me of how happy I was."

"You remember something like that?" Hanna's voice was small. "The way her shirt felt?"

She released the fabric from her fingers. "I remember every detail of that day perfectly clear."

For a moment, Hanna thought about asking if it hurt when the firecracker took away her sight. "Emily's a pretty good kisser, isn't she?"

Jenna smirked. "Should I be surprised that you know that?"

Hanna chuckled. "Probably not."

Without warning, Jenna reached out and placed her hand gently against Hanna's cheek. Hanna froze, unsure of what to do or what was happening. Bringing up her other hand, Jenna carefully traced the features of Hanna's face with her fingertips. The sensation Hanna received was indescribable.

"Still beautiful." Jenna murmured as she removed her hands from Hanna's face. "Just had to check."

Hanna was dumbfounded. "I've lost weight. A lot, since you…saw me last."

Jenna halfheartedly shrugged. "You were beautiful then, you're beautiful now."

Staggered, Hanna scrambled to recover. She found her confidence halfway. "Jenna Marshall, are you hitting on me?"

She smiled. "Grab that top for me, would you? I'd like to try it on."

Hanna did as she was instructed to. Though it surprised her, she didn't jump when Jenna's hand grabbed her arm for guidance. She led Jenna to the changing rooms, happy that the shop was fairly empty of customers and no one from school would see them. Hanna sat on the couch outside Jenna's stall in the changing room. To pass the time, she checked her reflection on her phone's screen. Again, she found herself wondering what it would be like to be in Jenna's shoes and not be able to do something like seeing how you looked.

"Hanna?" Jenna's voice filled the empty room.

"Yeah?" Hanna called back.

The stall door opened and Jenna stepped out. The top looked great on her. It clung to her body in all the right places.

"How does it look?" Jenna asked, striking a pose.

"It looks really good." Hanna answered. "Still not crazy about that color though. Do you want me to go get it in a different shade? There may have even been one in black. That would look really great with your skin tone."

Jenna nodded. "Sure, if you don't mind?"

"Oh, it's no problem. I'll be right back." Hanna moved quickly through the store, checking all around to ensure that there was no one she recognized nearby. She fetched the shirt in black along with a few more choices. When she reentered the changing room, she knocked lightly on the stall door. "I brought back a few more things for you to try. They're the same kind of material."

Hanna was about to pass the shirts over the top of the stall when the door swung open. Jenna was shirtless, standing only in jeans and a bra. Her signature sunglasses were perched on the top of her head. Her striking green eyes were pointed at the wall behind Hanna. Though she had seen Jenna's eyes years ago before the accident, it felt like she was seeing them for the first time all over again.

With a confident smile, Jenna reached out and took the shirts from Hanna's arms. "Thank you. That was very thoughtful."

Hanna took a place on the couch again. All she could think about were the color of Jenna's eyes. She was so caught up in her own thoughts that she almost didn't notice the stall door opening. Jenna did a twirl, Hanna catching on to it only after she was already halfway through.

"What do you think?" Jenna asked hopefully. Her sunglasses were back in place.

Hanna stood. "It's cute. Definitely better than the first." Out of instinct, Hanna reached out and adjusted the shirt. Jenna patiently allowed Hanna to fix how it looked. "There. Now it's perfect."

Jenna grinned. "You're an interesting person, Hanna Marin. I thought I had Alison's group of friends all figured out…but you girls continue to surprise me."

"How does Emily surprise you?" Hanna asked, thinking about how the two of them had secretly hooked up more than once in the past.

Jenna shrugged. "Emily has a kind heart. I never expected us to…do what we did. And I certainly never expected her to keep what happened a secret. She's been good to me. Even at times when I didn't deserve her kindness. I don't know if she ever told you this, but the first time she and I ever had a conversation was because she found me crying over something petty that Alison had said."

"I didn't know that." Hanna admitted. "I didn't know that anything Alison said ever got to you."

"Everything she said got to me." Jenna confessed indifferently. "But that's what made her Alison DiLaurentis. She had the power to build you up, and she had the power to destroy you."

"You must've hated her." Hanna speculated.

"No." Jenna shook her head. "I never hated Alison. I envied her."

Hanna leaned against the neighboring stall. "You're a lot different than I thought you would be, too."

"Surprised that I'm not the evil witch after all?" Jenna laughed.

"A little." Hanna answered truthfully. "I guess even after all this time I still have trouble remembering that Alison lied more than she breathed."

"And now she does neither." Jenna commented. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that."

"It's fine." Hanna brushed it off. "Emily's the one you shouldn't say those kind of things around."

Remembering where they were, Jenna stepped back inside the stall. Without closing the door, she stripped the shirt off of her. "Could you pass me one I haven't tried on yet? They all feel the same, I don't know which is which."

"Oh, yeah. Of course." Hanna entered the small space, carefully leaning around Jenna to grab another shirt for her. She placed the top in Jenna's waiting hands. "You know, it's weird, we barely know each other but it kind of feels like we're already friends."

"Weird?" Jenna questioned as she slipped the shirt over her head.

Hanna moved to stand in the stall doorway. "Well…I guess not weird. I don't know, it's just…weird."

They laughed as Jenna modeled the shirt. "How's it look?"

"Hmm, not as good as the black one."

"What color is it?"

"Green." Hanna answered as an idea came to her. Hesitantly, she said, "Take off your sunglasses for a second."

With equal hesitation, Jenna removed her sunglasses.

"I was wrong." Hanna said after a few moments. "This one looks good. It really brings out the color of your eyes."

Jenna tensed up. "Not that anyone would ever see that."

"Why do you wear the sunglasses?" Hanna asked. "Do you do it to make other people feel more comfortable around you?"

Jenna put on her sunglasses. "You're a good person, Hanna. Better than most. I really appreciate your help today, but if this is all just you trying to deal with a guilty conscience or because you pity me…I'd rather you just go."

"This isn't about Alison." Hanna thought it over for a moment. "And it's definitely not about pity. I actually really respect you."

With a hopeful smile, Jenna replied with, "Are you saying you'd like to be friends?"

Hanna allowed herself to smile as well. "You could use a friend with some actual taste."

Across town, inside the Fields residence, Emily was doodling absentmindedly on a sheet of paper. A textbook lay open in front of her on the bed but she hadn't so much as looked at it in over half an hour. Her mind was far away from school. She thought over and over about the conversation she'd had with Paige in her car.

Was Paige lying? Why would she? What could she possibly gain from telling Emily that she bought a ridiculous amount of cocaine for Alison? What did Ali even do with it all? Who was the man she kept Paige on the lookout for? Who was she meeting inside a motel at night? Had Paige felt the same tension that she had?

Emily tossed her pencil aside, feeling aggravated and weighed down with her thoughts. Reaching for her phone, she pulled up her most recent message from A. She reread the text, mouthing the words "never forget that we're all connected" as she went. It was clear to her that Paige was supposed to connect her to answers about Alison, but all she had received were more questions.

A new message popped up on her screen. Surprised to see that it was from Aria, Emily quickly opened the text.

"_If you're free, I could really use an unbiased opinion. Dinner at Apple Rose Grille?_"

Emily rolled her eyes. She was far from being an unbiased opinion when it came to her friends, but she knew that Aria really just needed someone who would listen.

Twenty minutes later, Emily and Aria were sitting across from each other at a table near the front windows.

"Thanks for coming." Aria sighed. She twirled her straw around her water glass, watching the pieces of ice clink against each other. "I tried to invite Hanna but she never answered my text."

"She's shopping." Emily informed her. Hanna tended to have blinders on when she was at the mall. Nice clothes and good deals were some of the few things, apart from girls, that could actually keep her from checking her phone every five minutes.

"Ah." Aria nodded understandingly. "So how was school? Did you ever go talk to Paige McCullers?"

"Yeah, we talked. She had a lot to say. I swore I wouldn't repeat any of it, though."

"Do you think her letter is legit?"

"I do. I think she's telling the truth."

"So you think it's safe to cross her off the A list?"

"I would be _really_ surprised if it was her."

"Anything else happen?" Aria asked, picking at her food. Emily hesitated, which alerted Aria immediately. "What is it?" Emily's further reluctance to speak caused Aria to sigh and set down her fork. "What did Spencer do?"

"She and Fitz had a private conversation." Emily was unsure on just how much she should share. "He asked her to stay after class. It was his idea for them to talk. I only know what Spencer told us, which was _filled_ with expletives."

Aria stared at her food, shaking her head in disbelief. "This is all because of stupid A. Everything was fine before they came along."

"I know." Emily agreed.

"What did your text last night say?"

"That if I want to know the truth about what happened to Alison, I should let Paige guide me in the right direction. It said not to forget that we're all connected."

"Does that mean Paige had something to do with Alison's death?"

"No, Paige wasn't even in Rosewood when Ali died. But I'm starting to think that it means Paige knows more than she's telling." Emily noticed how rapidly Aria's leg was shaking. "What did your text say?"

Aria groaned. "That's what I need your help with. Since A thinks I've been leading Spencer on, they want me to now pick between Ezra and Spencer. If I don't, they'll tell everyone about Ezra seeing me. Logically, I know I should just stay with Ezra because it's not like I'm even back with Spencer anyway, you know? Like it shouldn't even matter."

"But it does matter." Emily deduced. "Because you really are picking between them."

Aria pushed away her half eaten food, her appetite gone. "I don't know what to do. I've been going back and forth about it all day. I love them both. I do. I can admit that. And I know Ezra is a good choice. In the future, if we break up, it wouldn't be the end of the world. I don't want us to break up, I enjoy being him…but it's not like I wouldn't be able to move on or anything. If I choose Spencer, what will happen to our friendship? I don't want us to lose that. I don't ever want to go through that again."

Emily leaned closer, lowering her voice. The hard truth was what needed to be said. It was time that Aria faced the facts. "Listen to yourself, Aria. You might love them both, but not wanting to lose someone and being terrified of losing them are two very different kinds of love. You're afraid of being hurt, I get that. That's normal. But wouldn't you rather be wildly, incredibly in love with your best friend and have things not work out than be sort of, kind of in love with a guy you could easily move on from? This is my unbiased opinion…go find Spencer."

Aria sat quietly for a few moments, soaking it all in. With a small voice, she asked, "What if things don't work out? What if we get together and go to different schools? What if we never talk to each other again?"

Emily placed her hand over Aria's on the table. "Then love her while you can."

Outside of the Apple Rose Grille, across the street in a parked car, behind tinted windows, a pair of scrutinizing eyes carefully watched the interactions between Aria and Emily. The observer kept close tabs on the pair of friends for the rest of their dinner, up until the moment they were exiting the restaurant. The driver, careful not to let any passers-by see them, put the car in gear and sped away.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 – Love and Lies**

* * *

With a heavy heart, Aria took a seat on Ezra Fitz's couch. She glanced across the small apartment to his bed, recalling the previous evening's events. A part of her was sad that she'd never be invited into that bed again.

Sitting beside her, Ezra offered some of his leftover Chinese food.

"Oh, no thanks. I just had dinner with Emily." She informed him.

He smiled, still pleasantly surprised that she'd dropped by unannounced. "You went out for dinner? I assumed you must've been pretty sick to miss class. You seemed excited when I told you about the lesson plan yesterday."

"I needed a mental health day." She shrugged. "I've had a lot on my mind lately."

"Oh yeah?" He readjusted to face her on the couch. "Like what?"

She inhaled slowly, stalling as much as she could. "I heard you talked to Spencer."

He shifted uncomfortably. "Oh, um, yeah…I know it didn't go as well as I'd hoped, but it really felt like something I needed to do."

"What did you say to her?" She asked, hoping to get more information about the encounter than just the small bit that Emily had provided.

He blinked a few times. "Well, I wanted her to understand the severity of the situation. I wanted to ensure that she wouldn't do anything rash. I thought that maybe if she saw my perspective, it might change how she felt about us."

"She's not going to running around town screaming about you and me being together." Aria defended. "Spencer has her flaws, but she's a good friend. She cares about me, she'd never do something like that."

"She had a few choice words on the matter." Ezra replied. "Honestly, I think that she _would_ tell people if she felt like it."

She could see it. It was right there. Her opportunity was staring her in the face. All she had to do was say the words. It would be a reasonable way out; he wouldn't even be able to say that she was wrong. It would be so easy to just say the words.

Her heart pounded in her chest, her palms grew sweaty. "You're right."

Ezra's dedication to win the discussion wavered. Aria had never given up so easily before. "I'm right?"

"You're right." She repeated solemnly. "There's a huge possibility that people will find out about us. It was fun and exciting when we started this, but now…I'm not sure what it is anymore. I'm tired of hiding, Ezra. I don't want to love someone and have to keep it a secret. And I don't want that kind of life for you either."

"Aria…" He shook his head fervently. "Aria, you—"

"I'm sorry." She fought back tears at the sight of his crestfallen expression. "I can't do this anymore. I can't live like this."

They stood in unison. He stared down at her in shock. His voice dropped to barely above a whisper. "You said you loved me."

"I do." She nodded as the first tear ran down her cheek. "I do love you. But I'm seventeen, and you're my teacher. We should have ended this back on the first day of school."

"No, Aria, you can't just do this." He pleaded. He looked as if he might get down on his knees and beg. "We love each other. Everything was going so well. I don't—what did I do? Is it Spencer? I'll never bring her up again, I swear. You trust her, I'll learn to trust her too. I'll do whatever you want, just…let's talk about this. Let's work through this. We can do that. Every relationship has a few bumps in the road."

"Please…" Her voice cracked as she skirted around him toward the door. "Don't make this any harder than it is."

"So that's it then?" His voice rose as he grew angry. "We're not even going to discuss this? We're not going to sit down and try to rationally work this out like adults? You're just going to walk away?"

Aria's heart dropped as she heard the familiar phrase. It was the exact same line that Spencer had cried out to her when they'd broken up. "I'll transfer out of your class. We all will, if that's what needs to happen." She opened the apartment door and walked out, shutting it gently behind herself. Her feet numbly carried her out of the building.

**FOUR DAYS LATER**

Spencer, Emily, Hanna, and Aria sat around the secluded back table at The Brew, their phones on display before them. Despite being a weekend, the usually popular café was slow. The atmosphere at the table was thick with tension. They hadn't received a single text from A since Monday night, which ironically only worried them that much more.

"So is it over?" Hanna asked, looking around at her friends' expressions.

Spencer chewed on the end of her straw. "This is far from over. This is the calm before the storm. They were just messing with us before, testing us to see if we'd play along. Now it's time for the real fun."

"What makes you think that's what's going on?" Hanna questioned.

"Because that's what I would do." Spencer answered apathetically.

"I'm so over this." Hanna sighed.

Emily glanced at Aria. "How're you holding up?"

Realizing late that Emily was talking to her, Aria cleared her throat and scrambled to come up with an appropriate response. "Oh, I'm fine. I just really want that class transfer request to get accepted. I don't think I can take another minute of sitting in his class."

"Has he tried to talk to you at all?" Hanna asked, sipping from her tea.

"He won't even look at me." She admitted.

Spencer scoffed. "Yeah, that's because he's way too busy glaring daggers at me. He all but spat in my face when I said that Gatsby wasn't actually in love with Daisy but in love with the _idea_ of Daisy. His response was so condensing that I almost vomited in my mouth. He knew I was right, but he went out of his way to make it sound like I was wrong!"

"_Spence_." Emily hoped her pointed look would give Spencer the right idea to quit talking.

"So, what's everyone's plans for today?" Aria asked, effectively changing the conversation to something other than her tangled love life.

"Meeting up with Paige." Emily revealed, gaining looks of concern from her friends. "Yesterday at practice she said she had some new information to share. I guess she's been working solo on figuring out who wrote that letter."

Hanna laughed. "Playing detective with Paige McCullers sounds like a punishment."

"She's not that bad." Emily halfheartedly threw back. It was true that there was far more to Paige than they knew, but Emily had yet to actually see what was hiding beneath the harsh exterior. "What are your plans?"

Hanna wavered. "Oh, uh, not much. Probably just hanging around. Might see what Caleb and Toby are up to."

"Speaking of Caleb and Toby…" Spencer leaned in. "That rumor they were spreading about Fitz seeing a male student fizzled out. Apparently he heard about it and set the record straight in one of his classes."

"Set the record straight?" Hanna chuckled. "So he told everyone that instead of banging some soon-to-be frat boy he was banging Aria?"

Aria abruptly stood. "I'll catch you guys later. I've got some errands to run."

The girls pleaded with her to stay a little while longer, but she was determined to escape. She managed to get away from the table and even out on to the streets of Rosewood, but, much to her displeasure, Spencer caught up with ease.

"What are you doing?" Aria asked as she distractedly searched her purse.

Spencer dangled something before her. "You left these inside."

Aria took her keys from Spencer's hand. "Thanks."

"We should hang out tonight." Spencer suggested. "Just us."

"I don't know." She opened the car door.

"Look, I can tell that this whole thing with Fitz is getting to you." Spencer confessed. "We can have a movie night at my place. Me, you, some popcorn, and the cheesiest movies we can find. Just like old times."

After quick and futile debate with herself, Aria caved. "Fine, but we'll do it at my place. You pick the movies. Last time you slept through the ones I rented."

Spencer smiled. "That's because you rent the same movies every time. I don't know why you don't just buy them already."

Aria grinned as she hopped into her car. Rolling down the window, she replied, "Because then I'd have to actually admit that I like sappy romantic comedies."

Spencer chuckled to herself as Aria drove off. She was excited for the night's plans; she and Aria hadn't spent quality time alone since before Fitz had come around. When Spencer returned to the table in The Brew, Hanna and Emily were busy chatting away about the Homecoming Dance.

"Seriously?" Hanna asked Emily as Spencer took her seat. "Homecoming is like two weeks away, how do you still not have a dress?"

"I haven't even thought about it." Emily admitted. "Maybe you forgot, but things have been a little on the crazy side lately."

"What about you?" Hanna pointed her straw at Spencer. "Got your dress?"

"Of course. I found one I liked over the summer, you know that." Spencer answered, her mind already thinking about what movies she and Aria could watch.

Hanna wiggled her eyebrows. "Who are you two thinking about going with?"

Emily shrugged. "It's a little early to be thinking about that, isn't it?"

Hanna feigned a shocked gasp. "Too early to think about who you'll be going to your senior year Homecoming Dance with?"

"It's not like this is Prom." Spencer pointed out.

"This is our last big semi-formal." Hanna tried to stress the severity of the situation. "Pictures from Homecoming week take up _an entire _section in the yearbook. The King and Queen get professional shots of their Homecoming Dance outfits in a half-page spread! Except this year, of course, since it will be Queen and Queen."

"That confident, are you?" Spencer rolled her eyes.

Emily laughed. "And who do you plan on making your fellow Queen?"

Hanna chewed on her straw pensively. "Haven't made it that far yet, but the lucky girl that I select to be my date will have to classy, beautiful, and capable of drawing attention…_but_ she can't outshine me. It's all very strategic."

Spencer and Emily shared a humorous look. Hanna noticed and used her straw to fire a carefully aimed spitball at them both.

That afternoon, Hanna was driving away from Emily's house after dropping her off. She inconspicuously parked around the corner and walked her way back, this time going up to the Cavanaugh-Marshall house. She knocked on the door, praying that Emily wouldn't walk outside and see her standing on her neighbor's porch.

The door opened, Jenna Marshall standing before her like a poised statue. "Yes?"

Hanna cleared her throat. "Hey, Jenna. It's me. Hanna. We made plans?"

"You're late." With a welcoming smile, Jenna stepped aside to allow Hanna entrance.

"Sorry, I got held up." Hanna stood awkwardly in the hallway.

Jenna, without the use of her white cane, walked flawlessly down the hall and around a corner into a bedroom. Hanna followed, glad that they were alone in the house. She had asked ahead of time if Toby would be there, but Jenna had assured her that Toby and her parents would be out for the night.

"Can I get you anything? Some water? Tea?" Jenna politely offered, taking a seat at the edge of her bed.

Hanna stepped into the room, slowly shutting the door behind her. "Oh, no, but thank you."

"Let me know if you change your mind." Jenna replied. A silence fell as Hanna stood awkwardly in the middle of the room.

Noticing a shelf full of snow globes, Hanna nearly gestured to them as she said, "That's a lot of snow globes. Do you collect them or something?"

"Yes." Jenna turned her head in the shelf's direction. "Since I was little."

Hanna nodded reflexively. "Oh. That's cool."

Jenna turned back to her. "I have to admit, I'm a little surprised that you showed up today."

"Why?" Hanna took a seat in an empty desk chair.

"It's been a long time since I had a friend over." Jenna revealed. "There are a lot of…limitations…when it comes to finding entertainment. Most people find it off-putting."

Hanna chuckled. "Well, most people sound like boring assholes then. There's plenty of stuff to do that doesn't involve seeing."

Jenna was quiet for a moment. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Did Emily put you up to this?"

"No." Hanna answered quickly. "Emily doesn't even know that I'm here. No one does."

"Embarrassed to be around me?" Jenna assumed.

Hanna knew she had to choose her words carefully. It was true that she didn't want anyone to know she was hanging out with Jenna, but the feelings were much too complicated for her to put into words. "Jenna, we still don't know who is texting us. They have a lot of information on us that we never even told each other. We don't know who we can trust."

"You think it's me?" Jenna snickered. "You think I'm the one blackmailing Emily and the rest of you? Did you forget that I'm also a part of this? If the person texting you knows all of your secrets, they could know all of mine too."

Hanna scoffed. "Yeah, well, our secrets could put people in _jail_."

"So could mine." Jenna responded smoothly.

Hanna looked her over. "What did Ali have a video of you doing?"

Jenna chuckled. "I should have known that was the real reason you're here."

"That's not why I'm here." Hanna threw back. "But it _is_ something that I've been wondering."

"If you can't trust me, why should I ever trust you?"

"You know what, fine. You don't have to tell me your fuckin' secret. Whatever. That's totally cool." Hanna grumbled. "Sorry I asked."

Jenna smirked. "You're a smooth talker, Hanna. A real charmer. You really had me going there for a while."

"Jenna…" Hanna groaned. "I'm not here because of Emily, or because of the texts, or to find out your secrets. Honestly…I don't even really know why I'm here. I think you're cool and interesting. I'd like to get to know you better. I think we could be really good friends."

Jenna contemplated the situation for a moment. "Secret for a secret. Deal?"

Hanna chewed on her fingernail. "Deal."

"You first." Jenna instructed.

Hanna took a deep breath. "I'm being blackmailed for shoplifting. They have the store's surveillance footage of me doing it."

"Do you regret it?"

"I don't have regrets." Hanna answered confidently. "Sure, I've done fucked up stuff, stuff I probably shouldn't have done…but I don't regret doing any of it. I don't see the point in that."

Jenna swallowed hard, holding her head up a little higher. "My secret is that I'd like to go on a date with you." Speechless, Hanna only stared. Jenna took the time to elaborate. "You've been very kind to me. I realize that the reasons for your actions are on the ambiguous side, but I believe there's a lot of good in you, Hanna. I know my disability isn't attractive, or sexy, or at all appealing…but it's been a long time since a good-hearted person treated me to a night out. Do this for me, and I'll tell you what you want to know."

Still bewildered, Hanna agreed. "Okay. One date. Tonight." She paused. "Does that mean we can't hang out right now or…?"

Jenna smiled hopefully. "If you'd still like to, we can listen to my record collection."

Hanna stood, finding a smile of her own. "Show me what you've got."

Deep within the woods, on the outskirts of Rosewood's city limits, two pairs of feet pounded against the ground in near unison. Emily did her best to keep up Paige's speedy pace as they jogged along the trail. Coming to a clearing, the girls stopped for a break. The area was on a steep cliffside, providing a beautiful view of downtown Rosewood sprawled out below them and a treacherous edge that they didn't dare go near.

Sitting on a large rock, Emily panted heavily and wiped the sweat from her brow. When Paige had suggested she join her on an afternoon run, Emily hadn't expected such a grueling distance. It was easy to match Paige's speed, but she was unfamiliar with the terrain that Paige seemed to know like the back of her hand. She'd nearly tripped a dozen times already and they still had to make their way back to town.

Paige stood in a power stance, stretching her arms and keeping a careful eye on Emily. "Doing okay over there?"

"Yeah." Emily answered. Her heart was pounding rapidly in her chest, she was covered in sweat, she was in need of a cold drink, and she was still heaving in fresh air. "Yeah, I'm fine. Totally cool."

"Sorry to drag you way out here." Paige took a seat on a nearby rock.

"It's fine." Emily waved it off. "I've been meaning to expand my list of places to run anyway."

"Right." Paige nodded, her mind clearly on other things.

"So, what's this big new info you've got?" Emily questioned.

Paige lit up. "Yeah, so, I figured some stuff out. You know how the letter was put into my gym locker _before_ practice on Monday? I mean, I didn't actually read it until after practice right before I talked to you in the parking lot, but I remember seeing it in there when I was changing into my swimwear. Anyway, I thought at first that it had to be you, or at least someone on the team, but it turns out that there are actually a lot of people who have access to the pool locker rooms. I asked Coach about it. I told her something of mine went missing, nothing expensive, and I probably just lost it, _but_ on the off chance someone took it, who could it have been? She said the people who have access to those specific locker rooms are the coaches, teachers-really anyone who is employed by the school, custodians, swimmers, and the gym students on scheduled pool days. Guess who had a scheduled pool day on Monday?"

Emily blinked. "I'm guessing some random P.E. kids?"

"Specifically Coach Darby's classes." Paige shrugged. "Now we just have to find out who has Darby for Phys. Ed."

"Paige, Darby teaches freshmen and sophomores." Emily pointed. "Do you really think an underclassman wrote you that letter?"

"I can't assume anything about the letter." Paige defended. "I don't know who all Alison DiLaurentis was friends with. It could be anyone."

Emily shook her head. "No, Ali refused to be seen with younger kids. When she wasn't with us, she hung out with an older crowd. Seniors, college students, dropouts…it didn't really matter, as long as they were cool and _older_. And, I mean, did you ever consider that maybe the person who wrote that letter could have just snuck into the locker room?"

Paige angrily crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, there goes my only lead."

Emily shifted her weight uncomfortably, her eyes looking out at the horizon. "We should head back. The sun will be setting soon. I'd rather not be running around the woods at night, if that's cool with you."

Paige jumped up, already heading for the trail. "Yeah, let's go."

Emily hesitated before following. She watched Paige walk ahead of her, the girl's toned shoulders shrunken in defeat and her brow furrowed in disappointment.

Meanwhile, inside the lone video rental store of Rosewood, Spencer searched the aisles for something interesting. She was nervous about her movie night with Aria. There were still a lot of mixed feelings between them, and it seemed as though the past few weeks had only served to muck everything up even worse.

Turning a corner, her eyes scanning the romantic comedy section, Spencer nearly bumped into video store's only other customer.

"Oh, hey, sorry." Spencer smiled at Caleb Rivers. "Didn't see you there."

"Movie night with the girls?" Caleb guessed, a pair of rentals in his hand.

"Just me and Aria tonight." Spencer answered, getting a curious look from him. "Movie night with Toby?"

He showed off his picks to her. "Spontaneous movie date. Jenna's kicking him out of the house for the night."

"She's finally found a new playmate after that bartender?" Spencer asked, handing the movies back to Caleb.

He shrugged. "Whoever it is, Toby's not allowed to know. Earlier, when she texted him about staying out for the night, he tried asking. I guess it's a secret."

"That girl is full of those." Spencer mumbled offhandedly.

Caleb crossed his arms. "Oh, earlier I saw Emily and Paige McCullers out running together towards the trails. What's up with that? I thought they hated each other?"

Spencer picked up a random movie and pretended to examine it. "Oh, uh, I don't know. Maybe their coach is making them hangout or something. Probably just one too many fights in the pool."

Caleb checked his phone. "I've got to head out. Talk to you later?"

"Yeah, see you Monday." Spencer waved as he left.

Twenty minutes flew by before Spencer was finally able to settle on two movies to rent. All the while, her mind was consumed with thoughts of Aria. Making her way over to the Montgomery household, Spencer happened to notice Hanna's car parked on a random curbside not far from Emily's.

Not long after, Aria opened her front door to see Spencer anxiously tapping her foot.

"What took you so long?" Aria asked as she invited her in.

Haphazardly handing over the rentals, Spencer wasted no time in rushing into the spacious home. "Do you know what Hanna is doing right now? Her car is parked like an entire block away from Emily's house. I literally just passed it on my way here. I even went down Emily's street to check things out; her car was in the driveway, but her mom's car wasn't there. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Aria blinked. "Please, don't say what I think you're about to say."

Spencer sat down on the couch in the living room. "Think about it, Aria. Hanna was super cryptic this morning about what she was doing tonight, and the only logical reason Hanna would park so far away and actually _walk_ somewhere is so that no one would see her parked where's she's really at. Now, why wouldn't she want anyone to know she was at Emily's? I've got a pretty good idea."

Aria tossed the rentals to the side and stared at her in disbelief. "Emily and Hanna are not secretly seeing each other."

"How do you know for sure?" Spencer asked.

"They're just friends!" Aria threw up her hands. "Maybe Hanna's car broke down, maybe she's hanging out with someone we don't know. You can't just jump to these crazy conclusions. Besides, Emily is playing detective or whatever with Paige McCullers, remember?" Spencer crossed her arms, irritated. Aria took a seat beside her. "I think all these A texts are starting to mess with you. Not everyone is hiding something."

"You're right." Spencer groaned, covering her face with her hands. "I'm going insane. Pretty soon you'll have to ship me off to Radley."

Aria chuckled. "Out of all of us, you would definitely be the one to end up in a padded room wearing a straitjacket."

A polite knock sounded at the door. As Aria moved to answer it, Spencer popped her head up and said, "Wait, _what_?"

Aria laughed at Spencer's expression as she pulled open the front door. Her laughter died immediately at the sight of Ezra Fitz on her doorstep. "What are you doing here?"

Oblivious to Spencer sitting nearby, Ezra pleaded with Aria, "Please, don't shut the door! I came here to talk. You haven't been returning any of my calls."

Aria pulled him inside. "Someone might see you here!"

He held up a large binder filled with papers. "I brought this. A prop. If anyone asks, I'm here for private tutoring."

She lowered her voice. "My brother is upstairs."

"I'll make it quick." He promised, his voice hopeful.

Debating with herself, Aria relented. He smiled, already feeling like he'd conquered the hardest part of the battle, until his eyes landed on Spencer's scowl from the couch.

"Oh." He tensed up. "I didn't realize you had company."

Spencer forced an overly big smile. "Hello, Mr. Fitz."

"Spencer." He greeted back dryly.

Aria pulled him away, taking their conversation to the kitchen.

She spun on her heel, folding her arms over her chest. "You have one minute."

He set his binder on the kitchen counter and gave her his full attention. "Aria, I really think that we should sit down and have a mature discussion. The way you ended things was not okay. It doesn't feel like anything was ended at all; you just walked out. If you don't want to be with me, I will respect that. But I need some kind of closure. Please, that's all I'm asking for…just explain things to me."

Aria opened her mouth to reply but words failed her. She had no idea what to tell him. Talking about A would bring about more trouble than it was worth.

A loud, thunderous knock banged on the front door causing both Aria and Ezra to jump. "Did you bring someone with you?"

He shook his head vigorously. "Of course not."

A muffled yell drew them toward the door to investigate. They arrived to see Spencer peeking out the side window.

"Who is that?" Aria whispered as the aggressive knocks continued.

Spencer looked at them warily. "Noel Kahn."

The loud knocks were replaced with Noel's shouts. "I know you're in there, Fitz! I saw you, bitch! It's over, I know everything now! Open this fucking door!"

Pushing Ezra and Spencer out of view, Aria yanked open the door. "Noel!"

Nearly punching Aria in the face as his obnoxious knocking was interrupted, Noel craned his neck to see into the house. "I saw him! You hear that, Fitz? You can't hide. I saw you!"

"_Noel_." Aria glared up at him. "If you don't _shut_ the _fuck_ up—"

Noel smirked. "Let me in, or else the whole neighborhood is going to hear me."

From behind Aria on the stairs, a confused Mike Montgomery appeared. "What the hell is going on down here?"

Spotting Mike, Noel barreled past Aria and pounced on him. A sickly crack filled with room as Noel landed a punch right on the smaller boy's nose. Bleeding, Mike pushed Noel off of him. "_What the fuck_, man!"

Flabbergasted, Aria grabbed Noel's shoulders and pulled him away from her brother. She stepped between them, daring Noel to make another move. "What is wrong with you?"

Noel desperately look around. "Where is he? Where did Fitz go?"

With tears streaming down his cheeks and a hand over his bloody nose, Mike yelled, "You're a fucking psycho! Why the fuck would Mr. Fitz be here?"

Noel balled up his fists. "I saw him walk inside, you fuckin' lying little twink! How long have you been fucking him? _How long_? Did it start before I tried to get with him? Were you already sucking his dick when you told me to buy him flowers?"

Aria watched the interaction speechlessly. Her brain moved slowly as she pieced together what was happening. Her initial panic had been over Noel catching Ezra meeting with her, but Noel was still under the impression that Ezra liked guys. Naturally, he assumed it was Mike that Ezra had come to see.

Entering the room, Spencer joined Aria in standing between the two boys. "Noel, you need to leave. Right now."

Taking a moment to catch his breath, Noel looked around again. "Where is he?"

"Mr. Fitz isn't here." Spencer said sternly, looking him directly in the eye. "Mr. Fitz _was never_ here. Look at Mike, Noel. He has no idea what you're yelling about. He's been upstairs. Alone. Aria and I are the only ones downstairs. You can search the house if you want to, but you won't find anyone else here."

"I know what I saw." Noel warned. "And I'll tell everyone in the goddamn world what I saw. We'll see who they believe. We'll see who gets the last laugh then."

Spencer stepped closer, her tone dropping to a threatening level. "If you know what's best for you, you'll drop all of this. How's Andrew, by the way? I haven't seen him in a while. I know you used to be a _really_ great customer of his. Very photogenic, I hear. Oh, wait, didn't you two have a falling out recently? Such a shame. I wonder if he has any ideas for what to do with all those videos of you."

Noel stared at her, his gaze narrowing as something clicked between the two of them. "You wouldn't."

"Try me." She replied assertively.

"You win this time, Hastings." Noel threw up his hands in mock surrender. As he backed away toward the door, he pointed a finger at Mike. "This is far from over." He slammed the door shut as he left.

The girls helped Mike to his feet and cleaned him up the best they could. He repeatedly asked if Mr. Fitz had really been in there house, but Aria and Spencer stuck to their lie. They hadn't seen any teachers, they told him. Noel was probably rolling, high, tripping out of his mind; completely off the rails. He was just a dumb boy with a dumb crush on a teacher.

They kept him company until Aria's father could speed home. In a panicked flurry, he rushed Mike out the door and up to the Emergency Room to get his nose looked at.

Finally alone, Spencer and Aria awkwardly sipped on their drinks at the kitchen table. They hadn't said much, other than Spencer explaining how she knew her old drug dealer Andrew had risqué videos of Noel saved on a hard drive. The conversation had died off after that.

"So…" Spencer tried to look past the tense atmosphere. "Do you…want to talk about it or—"

"No!" Aria snapped. "God, no."

Spencer looked around the room, trying to find something else to say. Her gaze landed on the kitchen counter. "He left his prop."

Aria sighed, unenthusiastically walking over to the binder full of papers and prying it open. "It's just piles of old tests."

Spencer joined her at the counter, filing through the first batch. "Check this out. It's Hanna's _Great Gatsby _test. In the essay portion, instead of answering the actual question, she just ranted about how she thought Nick Carraway had the hots for Gatsby. Fitz gave her half credit '_for effort_'."

Aria shook her head. "I can't believe that like an hour ago you were trying to convince me that Hanna and Emily are hooking up."

Spencer closed the binder. "Let's put the theory to rest then. Call them."

"And say what?" Aria asked. "Oh, hey, guys, Spencer thinks you might be sluttin' it up together because she saw Hanna's car parked somewhere new."

"Must you take the fun out of everything?" Spencer mumbled, already dialing away on her phone. It only took one ring to get an answer. "Hey, Em. What's up? Still with Paige? Oh…so you just got home?" Spencer avoided Aria's victorious smirk. "Yeah, I'm at Aria's. No, it's just been a weird evening. We had a run in with Noel. We'll tell you and Hanna all about it tomorrow. Is she there with you?" Spencer paused. "You haven't seen her all at all since she dropped you off from The Brew? Did you know that she's parked a block away from your house?" Spencer chewed on her bottom lip. "No, we don't know what she's doing either. We were hoping you would know. I'm thinking of calling her and seeing what's up. Ever since all this A stuff, I feel really weird about us keeping things from each other." She leaned against the counter. "Yeah, you go ahead and call her. Text us if you figure anything out. Okay, bye."

"See?" Aria grinned.

Spencer couldn't help but laugh at herself. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever."

Aria glanced around the kitchen. "So…earlier…how did Ezra get out of the house?"

Spencer cleared her throat. "I, uh, dragged him out the back door. He wanted to stay and help with Noel, but I told him it would do more harm than good if he was involved. Then we heard Noel yelling at Mike and he finally let me shut the door. I guess he ran back to his car and took off after that."

Aria stared at her for a moment. She took Spencer's hands into her own. "Thank you."

Spencer blushed. "This may come as a surprise, but I'm not completely heartless."

Aria smiled. "Not surprised at all. Come on, let's go watch some movies."

Not far away, Hanna and Jenna were trekking through the woods. Guided only by the moon, a beaten trail, and the light from Hanna's phone, the two girls carried their supplies in relative darkness. Finally reaching a clearing, Hanna spread out the blanket for them and pulled out the insulated lunch bag to reveal their lackluster picnic. Since she hadn't had time to properly prepare for a date, Hanna had to make do with what she could find in the Cavanaugh-Marshall kitchen.

"Alright, we've got some semi-old looking strawberries, a banana, a handful of cashews, two bottles of water, and, for dessert, a half empty box of Skittles."

Jenna sat warily on the blanket beside her, completely out of her comfort zone. "So, this is the surprise? You took a blind person out into the woods to do what, stargaze?"

Hanna pushed the bag of snacks aside. "Well, I was thinking for a while about what to do, and everything I was thinking of involved going somewhere fancy, or doing something that involved seeing. I figured, out here, neither us have to see. We can do whatever. We can sit here and talk, we can make up imaginary constellations, because fuck if I can actually find the real ones anyway, we can listen to music on my phone…or we can close our eyes and pretend we're somewhere cooler because I really suck at coming up with good ideas for dates."

Jenna was quiet for a few moments. Wordlessly, she leaned back until she was laying down flat. With some hesitation, she pulled off her sunglasses and placed them on the blanket. Leaving a comfortable amount of space between them, Hanna laid down next to her.

"Hanna?" Jenna's voice was quiet.

"Yeah?" Hanna was beginning to think she'd made a terrible mistake.

"What can you see?" She asked softly.

Hanna glanced around curiously. "I can see the moon. It's close to being full. I don't know if it's getting full or…losing full? I think I slept that week in science class. It's pretty though. You can even see the craters on it. The sky is clear; no clouds anywhere. The stars are out. They're just little twinkling dots, different sizes and kind of all the same color, but when you see so many at one time…it can be really beautiful."

"Do you believe in God?" She casually asked. "Do you believe there is a Heaven up there in the stars?"

Hanna mulled it over. "I don't know what I believe. I've only ever experienced religion from a Christian point of view, you know? I feel like I need to see how other religions view things before I have any opinions about it all. Does that make sense?"

"It makes perfect sense." She replied with a small smile. "People are wrong about you girls."

Hanna glanced at her. "What do you mean?"

"You and Emily, probably Aria and Spencer as well, they're all wrong about you." She explained. "They say Emily is afraid of her own shadow, but her strength is clear in her actions. She's brave. And you…they say you're…dimwitted, but you're not."

"Dimwitted." Hanna laughed. "Sounds a lot nicer than huge dumbass."

Jenna pressed on. "You're personable. Charming, intuitive, empathetic. Stupid people don't have those qualities. Stupid people can't put themselves into the shoes of others; they don't want to. _You_ want to see the world as others see it. There's intelligence behind that."

"Wow. I guess I never looked at it that way before." Hanna confessed. "Thank you."

Jenna carefully searched for Hanna's hand on the blanket. Covering it with her own hand, she said, "No. Thank _you_."

Inside the Fields residence, Emily was sitting on her bed scrolling away online. Having spent less time with Paige than she thought she would, her evening had unexpectedly opened up. She didn't want to intrude on Spencer and Aria's movie night, and Hanna hadn't picked up on either of her calls, so it looked like she was on her own.

Bored out of her mind, she was excited to see her phone light up. Thinking it must be Hanna messaging her back, she speedily opened the text. Her heart nearly stopped as she saw what was inside.

"_Looks like it's date night in Rosewood. Feeling left out? Don't worry, I'll play with you. The game is simple. Do as I say and you'll be rewarded. If you call for backup, I won't play so nice. Here's your first task: Go to the last place you saw Alison alive. – A"_

Emily's first instinct was to call her friends, but immediately disregarding A's rules seemed like a terrible idea. She sat there for a few moments, just staring at her message. What was A planning? Why did they want her out in the dark alone? Was this a trap?

She pulled on her shoes and headed for the door, thinking that if A wants to play a game, it's a game A will get. Making her way down the road on foot, she kept a close eye on her surroundings and stayed under the street lights. Though she felt like she was being watched, there weren't any cars or people to be found. If A was watching, she had no idea how.

Taking the familiar shortcut, Emily crept into the Hastings backyard undetected. Though she knew Spencer was at Aria's, she had no idea if another Hastings might be home. She tiptoed over to the barn, not wanting to go inside it unless she absolutely had to. She waited for several minutes, wondering if A had just been messing with her after all, before the next text arrived.

"_Some say it's fate, some say it's chance. I say I make my own destiny. – A."_

Emily's breath caught in her throat. She stared at the words, shaking her head. It was impossible. How did A know them? Her feet were moving before her mind could catch up. All she could think about were those words. Reading them over and over, she could almost hear Alison's voice saying them to her again.

It didn't take long for her to find the Kissing Rock. Even in the dark, she knew how to get there. She and Ali had snuck off to be alone there plenty of times. It was where they shared everything, including their last kiss. It was the home of so many wonderful memories. Standing before the rock, she could picture Alison perched upon it. With the sun making her skin glow, her hair blowing in the wind, a smile lighting up her face, Alison said, "Some say it's fate, some say it's chance. I say I make my own destiny. Look at me, getting all poetic. I guess you just bring that out in me, Em."

Standing alone in the dark with the cold night air eerily picking up, Emily felt sick to her stomach.

"_Do you hear what I hear? Sounds like love is in the air tonight. Walk north, you'll know when to stop. –A" _

Unsure of where exactly north would lead her, Emily trudged through the woods anyway. She didn't know why A was taking her on a trip down memory lane, or how A knew she was playing along. It occurred to as she pulled out her phone to use it as a light, that perhaps A was tracking her remotely somehow. She didn't have long to ponder on this, though. A voice could be heard in the distance. Slowing her pace, trying to make as little noise as possible, she made her way closer and closer until she found herself at the edge of a small clearing. Letting her eyes adjust to the moonlit area, she could tell that two people were laid out on a blanket. Straining her ears, she put all her focus into making out what the two strangers were saying.

Then she heard it, loud and clear. Hanna's laugh. Jaw dropping open, Emily inched closer. She was incredibly curious to find out who Hanna was with, but she had a feeling that A would want her to remain hidden.

"That's not even fair though!" Hanna exclaimed loud enough for Emily to hear. Hanna's companion, however, talked much too quietly for Emily to ever have a chance at figuring out who they were.

Jumping as her phone buzzed with a new text, Emily ducked down so as not to be spotted. She waited a few moments before checking the message, hoping that setting her phone's brightness to its lowest level would help her stay hidden.

"_You have all the dots, you just need to connect them. End date night early and I'll give you a glimpse of the bigger picture. –A"_

Emily pulled up Hanna's number, her thumb hovering over the call symbol. If she called, would A know? Would the game be over? Would there be consequences? She couldn't take the risk. Standing up, she hoped that maybe she could scare Hanna and her friend off without causing too much alarm. She was in the middle of thinking up menacing animal noises when she caught snippets of Hanna's words carried on the breeze.

"—friends just don't take me seriously sometimes—you're so different than I thought you—glad we came out here—the afternoon together—this again sometime—"

Emily crouched down and waited, hoping that the date was already coming to an end.

In the middle of the clearing, Hanna was propped up on her elbow and looking down at Jenna curiously. The girl's eyes were open, staring blankly up at the night sky. Laying in the moonlight, making Hanna laugh and making her think deeply about the world and holding her interest with ease, Jenna Marshall was beautiful.

"You know how you touched my face in the mall the other day?" Hanna asked.

"I do." Jenna answered.

Hanna bit her lip. "Can you really tell what someone looks like just by doing that? Touching their face for a few seconds? Can you really tell if someone is beautiful like that?"

She was quiet for a moment. "I've learned to map out faces through touch, but it doesn't do me much good to add value to any images I create. Beauty to me, a lot more now than it used to be, is about who you are as a person. If you're beautiful on the inside, it doesn't matter what you look like."

"I guess I get hung up on the outer beauty a little too much." Hanna admitted.

Jenna paused. "Do you think I'm beautiful?"

Hanna watched her carefully. "Yes."

"In which way?" She asked quietly.

Hanna took one of Jenna's hands in her own. After spending the entire evening together, Hanna had learned an incredible amount about the other girl. She was highly unusual. She jumped from topic to topic, never staying focused on one for too long. She asked questions. So many questions. It didn't bother Hanna, though. Quite the opposite, actually. Hanna found her questions to be interesting, thought provoking. It was so different from the trivial conversations she was used to. "I think you're beautiful in every way."

For a moment, she thought Jenna might cry. "Thank you for tonight, Hanna. I really appreciate it. You're very kind."

"It's no problem." Hanna brushed it off. "Anytime you want to hangout, just let me know."

Jenna pushed herself up, Hanna doing so as well. "I promised you that I would answer your questions about Alison's video of me. If you have them, I'd like to go ahead and get that over with now."

Hanna's heart sank. "No, Jenna, it's fine. You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to."

Taking a deep breath, Jenna said, "I trust you."

Without hesitation, Hanna replied, "I trust you, too."

"Freshman year, I was the new girl. The only person I knew was Toby, and all of his friends seemed to dislike me for no reason. When I learned what that reason was—Alison DiLaurentis—I thought that the only way to handle the situation was to face it head on. I tried to befriend her, but she made it clear that would never happen. Things grew childish, catty…until there came a day when Alison said she wanted to work things out. I believed her; she was a good actress. I was quite the partier in those days, rarely ever sober on the weekends. One night, Alison showed up at the same party as me. She had a large bag with her, and none of us could figure out what was in it. Out of nowhere, she starts passing out crazy amounts of coke. It must have cost her a fortune. I was too drunk to realize that Alison was filming me while I did my share. I didn't even know the video existed until the night of the fire. Emily pulled me out of that garage, risking her own safety. I was in and out of consciousness, my vision already gone. I remember hearing Alison threaten me, hearing Emily crying and begging her to call for help. Alison had the video on her phone. She played it for me to hear. It had been edited to sound like I was the sole person consuming and selling the coke that _she_ had brought. She said if I told anyone about her starting the fire, my parents and the police would get copies of that video."

Hanna gave Jenna's hand a comforting squeeze. "It's like Ali had different personalities."

"If the person harassing you knows about that video…" Jenna trailed off.

"I doubt they do." Hanna tried to sound optimistic. "If they had something like that, they probably would have used it by now."

"Let's hope so." She sighed. Abruptly, Jenna's head whipped to the side. "Do you hear that?" She whispered, her hands searching frantically for her sunglasses.

"What?" Hanna scanned the dark clearing.

Jenna waited, her ear pointed in the direction she'd heard the strange noise. They sat in silence until she felt comfortable enough to relax. "Must have just been an animal."

"Probably a squirrel or something." Hanna guessed, her eyes still roaming the surrounding woods. "You have really good hearing. I never heard anything."

"Close your eyes." Jenna instructed, setting her sunglasses back on the blanket.

"Why?" Hanna asked skeptically, a smile spreading across her face.

"I'll teach you how to hear." She answered, her hand still holding Hanna's.

"Okay. My eyes are closed." Hanna announced.

"What do you hear?"

"Crickets, maybe."

"What else?"

"That's it."

"Listen closely. Hear the wind in the trees. Focus on that and you'll start to see the branches moving in your mind. Listen to the birds, the owls. Can you hear them?"

"Kind of." In all honestly, Hanna couldn't hear much of anything. The wind in the trees, sure. Insects? Of course. But birds? Owls? They were so far from the edge of the forest that she knew it was pointless for her to even try hearing those. She was so focused on listening that she nearly jumped when Jenna's thumb began caressing the back of her hand.

Things with Jenna were taking a turn, Hanna knew that. The pivotal "will they, won't they" moment was growing closer with every passing moment. There was a mutual wariness between them, neither girl completely sure what the other's intentions might be. It was clear that Jenna was, at the very least, interested in her. But Hanna was still unsure of how she felt about the situation. Jenna was still a mystery to her. True, they had spent the afternoon bonding over music and goofy childhood stories, but the real Jenna was still being uncovered.

"Are your eyes still closed?" Jenna asked.

"Yes." Hanna answered, feeling tempted to peek.

Jenna released her hand and cupped Hanna's face. She softly traced her facial features, leaving behind tingling trails on Hanna's skin. With her thumb, she gently brushed over her lips. The sensation made Hanna grin.

"I bet you have a beautiful smile." Jenna commented.

"I've been smiling a lot today." Hanna replied truthfully. With all of the paranoia and stress lately over A and the texts, spending time with Jenna had given her a much needed break.

There was a shift in the atmosphere. Hanna could sense Jenna moving closer, and in a moment of brief panic she wondered if she was going to kiss her. Much to her own surprise, she found herself actually hoping that she would.

A musical noise from the trees effectively ended the moment. Jenna threw on her sunglasses and Hanna jumped to her feet, both wildly searching for the source.

"It's a ringtone." Jenna declared as Hanna helped her to her feet.

"We're not sticking around to see who it belongs to." Scooping up the blanket and snack bag, Hanna grabbed Jenna's hand and led her out of the clearing. "It's probably just some kids out here messing around, but I'm not taking any chances."

They rushed through the woods as fast as they could. Trusting Hanna completely as her guide, Jenna moved at a speedy pace beside her as they hurried back to the safety of the neighborhood. They slowed down as they made it to the well-lit sidewalk.

Jenna began laughing. Hanna smiled and asked, "What's so funny? We could've just been axe-murdered in the woods."

She giggled. "Exactly! That was so exciting. I haven't had that much fun in forever."

Meanwhile, movie night was in full swing at the Montgomery house. Spencer and Aria shared a bowl of popcorn as a cheesy romantic comedy played on the television. Mike and Aria's father were still up at the ER, leaving them alone in the house.

"This movie is terrible." Spencer mumbled.

Aria glanced at her. "Then why did you pick it?"

"Because I knew you would like it."

"Well…I do like it."

Spencer yawned. "I might not make it through the other movie."

"Are you staying over or were you planning on driving home later?" Aria questioned, remembering the last time that she and Spencer had shared her bed. It had been a night full of interesting activities.

Before Spencer could answer, their phones buzzed with incoming texts. They shared a look of dread as they realized the messages were from a blocked number. Pulling open the text, Spencer read aloud, "_How many pretty little liars does it take to solve a puzzle? Let's find out. Here's a clue: Emily and Hanna have the final pieces.—A_"

Within the hour, all four friends were gathered inside Spencer's Toyota Highlander.

"Alright, what gives?" Hanna asked from the backseat. "What's with the S.O.S. text?"

Spencer parked the car on the side of the road. They had driven to the outskirts of town, determined to get away from the omniscient A.

"Did either of you get any messages tonight?" Aria asked, looking back at Hanna and Emily.

"I did." Emily disclosed, glancing to Hanna.

"Am I the only one who didn't?" Hanna asked worriedly. She pulled out her phone and checked again. "What does that mean?"

Spencer showed off the text that she and Aria had received. "This is what we got."

Aggravated, Hanna tossed her phone aside. "What puzzle? How am I supposed to have pieces to a puzzle when I don't even know what the damn puzzle is?"

"I think it's Ali's murder." Emily confessed. "I got more than just one text tonight. A wanted to play a game."

"What did they make you do?" Spencer questioned.

Emily fidgeted nervously with her phone. "The first text told me to go to the last place I saw Ali alive."

"My barn." Spencer answered knowingly.

"Right, and the second text had a word for word exact quote of something Ali said to me one time at the Kissing Rock. So, I went there next."

"You were in the woods earlier?" Hanna asked guardedly.

Emily avoided her eyes. "The final text said that I have all dots, I just need to connect them. It reminded me of that one text I got about Paige, about how I shouldn't forget that we're all connected. Anyway, if I…interrupted something that was happening nearby in the woods, A said they would show me the bigger picture."

"That was you?" Hanna exclaimed. "You're the ringtone we heard?"

"_We_?" Spencer and Aria caught in unison.

Emily nodded. "A wanted me to end date night early, that's what the text said."

"Who were you with?" Spencer asked, sharing a look with Aria.

Hanna crossed her arms. "What does it matter?"

"Han, have you not been paying attention?" Spencer shook her head. "_This_ is the bigger picture. Us four. Emily has all the dots? We _are_ the dots. We already have the pieces, we just have to connect them."

"What does that have anything to do with who I was with?" Hanna protested.

"Why is it a big secret?" Aria questioned.

"Damn, whatever happened to privacy?" Hanna scoffed. "I was with Jenna Marshall."

The car was silent. Finally, after a few apprehensive moments, Emily said, "A led me out there to you. They wanted me to know who you were with. Jenna has to be one of the clues."

"Jenna didn't kill Alison." Hanna threw out.

"I know that." Emily replied firmly.

"What did you and Jenna talk about?" Aria asked.

Hanna shrugged. "All kinds of stuff. I don't know. We were getting to know each other."

"Did she talk about Ali at all?" Spencer suggested.

Hanna faltered. "She, uh…she told me what was on the tape Ali used to blackmail her with." The girls waited expectantly for her continue. "Look, I can't just go blabbing her secret around town literally right after she told it to me."

"We're not going to tell anyone. Besides, A probably already knows. A knows everything." Aria pointed out.

"Fine. Just…for the greater good, I will tell you." Hanna felt extremely guilty, like she was betraying the trust she had spent all day earning. "Ali told Jenna that she wanted to call off their feud. She showed up at a party and passed out a shit ton of cocaine to everyone. Jenna didn't realize it, but Ali filmed the whole thing, then went and edited it so that the video only showed Jenna doing the drugs. She even went and made it sound like Jenna was _selling_ it to people."

"Oh my god." Emily gasped.

"I know, I was surprised, too." Hanna sighed.

"No, guys, I know where Ali got the drugs from." Emily confessed. All eyes were on her. "That's what Paige's letter was about. Ali blackmailed her into buying cocaine from some guy at the Rosewood Country Club. Ali gave her the money to do, she just had to make the transaction. That same day she made Paige sit outside a motel and keep lookout. Ali didn't bring the bag with her, but she definitely met somewhere there. Paige was supposed to call if a dark haired white guy in his early twenties was lurking around."

"What the actual fuck." Hanna groaned. "Did Ali blackmail the entire fucking town freshman year?"

"Sounds like it." Aria muttered.

"Okay, hold up." Spencer's mind was working in overdrive. "So, let's get this straight. Ali blackmailed Paige McCullers. How?"

"I can't tell you that part." Emily put her foot down. "I swore to Paige that I wouldn't. It's not important how she was blackmailed, the connection we have to focus on is what she was blackmailed into doing."

Aria glanced around. "And you're certain of that?"

Emily nodded. "Positive."

"Alright." Spencer allowed it. "Ali gets Paige to buy her drugs and, what, play body guard for a night? Then, at some point after that, she takes the drugs, without Paige, to a party where Jenna is at. It sounds like she planned on getting blackmail for Jenna the whole time. But why would Ali go through all that trouble just to have something over her?"

"She hated Jenna." Hanna provided. "She hated that Jenna was the popular new girl that wasn't afraid to fight back."

Spencer tapped the steering wheel thoughtfully. "I don't know, making someone look guilty of selling drugs sounds a lot more serious than just petty teen drama."

Hanna asked, "Where did Ali even get the money to buy a bag full of cocaine?"

Aria shrugged. "Remember how I told you guys she was extorting money from my dad back when my mom didn't know about his affair? I bet that's what she used it for."

"Oh, hey, what happened with you two and Noel today?" Emily asked.

Aria took a deep breath. "Ezra showed up at my house to talk. I've been ignoring his calls. I guess Noel was coming by to hang out with Mike, but he saw Ezra come inside the house. He started banging on the door, screaming about Ezra being there. He forced his way in and punched Mike in the face. He full on broke his nose. He was convinced Mike is the student Ezra's seeing."

"I snuck him out the back door." Spencer revealed. "And when I came back Aria was inches away from pummeling Noel with her fists of fury."

"Did you kick Noel's ass?" Hanna asked hopefully.

"No." Aria rolled her eyes. "But Spencer threatened to get Handjob Andrew to release Noel's homemade pornos and scared him off."

"Well there's an interesting sentence." Emily muttered.

"So, like, is Noel a clue too then, or what?" Hanna questioned.

"I think Noel showing up was just bad timing." Aria shrugged. "The text said you and Em were the ones with the pieces to the puzzle."

"What fuck is with all this puzzle talk?" Hanna griped. "Puzzle this, puzzle that. What's the puzzle, huh? What's this big fuckin' picture? That Ali was a shitty person? We already knew that."

"This has to all be related to Ali's murder." Emily proposed. "That's the big thing A knows we want, isn't it? To know who really killed Ali?"

Spencer's foot shook vigorously as she thought out loud. "Jenna had a motive. Ali blinded her, blackmailed her. But Jenna was at a school for the blind when Ali was killed. I doubt a blind girl could bury Ali and hang Ian, anyway. Noel's too big of a pissbaby to kill someone. Paige had a motive."

Emily sat up. "Paige was driving home that night from being away at a swim camp all summer. We could even go ask her father about it if you _really_ wanted to."

"Noted." Spencer pressed on. "So, if none of them killed Ali, and none of them are A, who are we left with then?"

"_Mona_." Hanna spat. "That bitch. She'd probably kill all of us if she had the chance."

Aria turned in her seat. "You really think she's capable of murder?"

Hanna stared out the window. "I don't know anymore. I really don't. This is stressing me out, I'm paranoid out of my fuckin' mind…I'm so tired of this shit."

"Are really going to say Mona killed Alison and Ian?" Spencer questioned. "She could be A, I guess, but are we really going to sit here and say that someone Mona's size killed two people, dug a grave, and hung an adult man's body in a tree without anyone noticing?"

Silence.

Eventually, they agreed it was time to head back. As they reentered the residential neighborhoods of Rosewood, they shared the sinking feeling that this game was far from over. Did they really have all the pieces? What were they not seeing? Was A just toying with them? Was Mona really behind all this?

When they pulled up to Emily's stop, she asked in a small voice, "Does anyone else think it's weird that A really wants us to know everyone's secrets?"

"I was just thinking about that." Spencer admitted. "A lot of the things A wants us to do involve getting information from other people. A wanted me to ask my sister about Ali's murder, and they wanted you to figure out what Paige knew."

Hanna raised a finger. "Well, A didn't tell me go on a date with Jenna. That bitch hasn't said _anything_ to me about her."

With a sad tone, Emily replied, "Han, I don't think that you and Jenna hanging out all of a sudden is a coincidence."

"She's right." Spencer added. "I hate to say this, but Jenna might just be getting close to you in order to keep tabs on what A is doing to us. It makes sense; her secrets are at risk here, too."

Filled with doubt, Hanna remained quiet on the issue.

"I'll see you guys later." Emily bid farewell, shutting the car door and watching them drive off. With a heavy sigh, she turned and made her way up to the front porch.


End file.
